Modeling human health behavior with a new index that measures connectivity
Objective: Health behavior is an important determinant of health. Adherence to medication and abstinence from harmful substances are two critical health behaviors. Although conceptually related, both are assessed using disparate measures. The goal of this study was to develop and test a new index, g...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2023-06-01
|
| Series: | Preventive Medicine Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335523000633 |
| _version_ | 1827948406574678016 |
|---|---|
| author | Steven L. Bernstein Fangyong Li Fuad Abujarad David R. Grant Gail D'Onofrio James Dziura |
| author_facet | Steven L. Bernstein Fangyong Li Fuad Abujarad David R. Grant Gail D'Onofrio James Dziura |
| author_sort | Steven L. Bernstein |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: Health behavior is an important determinant of health. Adherence to medication and abstinence from harmful substances are two critical health behaviors. Although conceptually related, both are assessed using disparate measures. The goal of this study was to develop and test a new index, gamma, which models health behavior by quantifying the connectedness of discrete incidents of health behavior. Study design and setting: We derive gamma from first principles and use it to reanalyze data from a published trial of treatment for alcohol use disorders. We model a primary endpoint, changes in binge drinking, using gamma and a traditional measure: change in number of monthly binges. The original trial was conducted in an urban hospital emergency department in the U.S. Results: Incorporating gamma into the model provided additional insights into the relationship between the intervention and long-term changes in drinking. Conclusion: Gamma provides an additional tool to model the effects of interventions on outcomes in trials of substance use interventions or medication adherence. Gamma measures the pattern of behavior and may increase the explanatory power of models assessing differences between various treatments. The gamma index offers the possibility of novel real-time interventions to promote healthy behaviors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T12:53:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-67234176100b4e68ad1c49b90a4b50e9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2211-3355 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T12:53:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Preventive Medicine Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-67234176100b4e68ad1c49b90a4b50e92023-05-14T04:28:34ZengElsevierPreventive Medicine Reports2211-33552023-06-0133102172Modeling human health behavior with a new index that measures connectivitySteven L. Bernstein0Fangyong Li1Fuad Abujarad2David R. Grant3Gail D'Onofrio4James Dziura5Department of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, United States; Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, United States; Corresponding author at: Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, One Medical Center Place, Borwell Bldg., 7th floor, Lebanon, NH 03756, United States.Yale Center of Analytical Science, Yale School of Medicine, United StatesDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, United StatesDepartment of Mathematics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, United StatesDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, United States; Yale School of Public Health, Yale School of Medicine, United StatesDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, United States; Yale Center of Analytical Science, Yale School of Medicine, United StatesObjective: Health behavior is an important determinant of health. Adherence to medication and abstinence from harmful substances are two critical health behaviors. Although conceptually related, both are assessed using disparate measures. The goal of this study was to develop and test a new index, gamma, which models health behavior by quantifying the connectedness of discrete incidents of health behavior. Study design and setting: We derive gamma from first principles and use it to reanalyze data from a published trial of treatment for alcohol use disorders. We model a primary endpoint, changes in binge drinking, using gamma and a traditional measure: change in number of monthly binges. The original trial was conducted in an urban hospital emergency department in the U.S. Results: Incorporating gamma into the model provided additional insights into the relationship between the intervention and long-term changes in drinking. Conclusion: Gamma provides an additional tool to model the effects of interventions on outcomes in trials of substance use interventions or medication adherence. Gamma measures the pattern of behavior and may increase the explanatory power of models assessing differences between various treatments. The gamma index offers the possibility of novel real-time interventions to promote healthy behaviors.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335523000633Health behaviorAdherenceAbstinenceGraph theoryNetwork analysis |
| spellingShingle | Steven L. Bernstein Fangyong Li Fuad Abujarad David R. Grant Gail D'Onofrio James Dziura Modeling human health behavior with a new index that measures connectivity Preventive Medicine Reports Health behavior Adherence Abstinence Graph theory Network analysis |
| title | Modeling human health behavior with a new index that measures connectivity |
| title_full | Modeling human health behavior with a new index that measures connectivity |
| title_fullStr | Modeling human health behavior with a new index that measures connectivity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modeling human health behavior with a new index that measures connectivity |
| title_short | Modeling human health behavior with a new index that measures connectivity |
| title_sort | modeling human health behavior with a new index that measures connectivity |
| topic | Health behavior Adherence Abstinence Graph theory Network analysis |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335523000633 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stevenlbernstein modelinghumanhealthbehaviorwithanewindexthatmeasuresconnectivity AT fangyongli modelinghumanhealthbehaviorwithanewindexthatmeasuresconnectivity AT fuadabujarad modelinghumanhealthbehaviorwithanewindexthatmeasuresconnectivity AT davidrgrant modelinghumanhealthbehaviorwithanewindexthatmeasuresconnectivity AT gaildonofrio modelinghumanhealthbehaviorwithanewindexthatmeasuresconnectivity AT jamesdziura modelinghumanhealthbehaviorwithanewindexthatmeasuresconnectivity |