Scientific Highlights—September 2014

Does your grandpa hit the gym?

Medicare members, including at Group Health, underuse low-cost, evidence-based physical activity programs like Silver Sneakers and EnhanceFitness, according to Dori Rosenberg, PhD; Lou Grothaus, MA; and David Arterburn, MD, MPH. And the few people who do participate tend to be younger, healthier women, the authors e-published on July 30 in the American Journal of Managed Care. They advise targeting more chronically ill and obese older adults for physical activity programs to help improve the reach of existing programs. See article.

Patient hopes are modest for alternative back-pain treatments

Many have attributed positive outcomes of alternative medicine to a placebo effect from patients’ high expectations of benefits. But that’s not what interviews with 64 people, including some Group Health patients, showed. They were receiving massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, or yoga for chronic low back pain, and their expectations tended to be modest, reported Clarissa Hsu, PhD; Karen Sherman, PhD; DanCherkin, PhD; DeAnn Cromp, MPH; and Lisa Schafer, MPH. They published with University of Arizona and University of Washington (UW) colleagues in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicineon July 30. See article.

Vaccine Safety Datalink tracks safety, with successes and challenges

The Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) is a collaborative project between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and nine health care organizations, including Group Health. Since 1990, it has been evaluating new vaccines, monitoring safety in pregnant women, and pioneering development of biostatistical research methods. Lisa Jackson, MD, MPH, e-published about successes and challenges in Vaccine on August 6 with colleagues at the CDC, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Pilgrim, HealthPartners, Kaiser Permanente, and Marshfield Clinic. See abstract.

Group Health specialist finds new way to treat TMJ

Ronald Hebard, MD, aGroup Health ear-nose-and throat specialist, described a new technique for reducing dislocation of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). He injected anesthetic into some jaw muscles to relax muscle spasm and make it easier to reduce the dislocation by hand. He e-published on August 1 in Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery. See article.

Cognitive behavioral therapy eases depression after traumatic brain injury

With UW colleagues, Evette Ludman, PhD, reported that people who had depression after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and received cognitive behavioral therapy by phone or in person had more symptom improvement and satisfaction with care than did those who got usual care. E-publishing July 29 in the Journal of Neurotrauma, they concluded that cognitive behavioral therapy by phone promises to enhance access and adherence to effective depression treatment for people with TBI. See abstract.

Can text messaging help working women stay physically active?

Many people are hopeful that text messaging may prove to be a cost-effective tool for helping people to maintain healthful habits, including physical activity. But in a randomized controlled trial, a text message intervention on physical activity did not significantly increase counts of steps on pedometers. Nancy Gell, PhD, e-published on August 7 with an Auburn University colleague in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health. See abstract.