UPenn PRC Director, Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, Discusses PRC Mission and Goals at ASPPH Annual Meeting

Mar 29, 2016

UPenn PRC Director, Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, joined other PRC Directors in a session to mark the 30thAnniversary of the CDC’s Prevention Research Centers Program at the Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) Annual Meeting March 20-22, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia.

Dr. Glanz and her fellow PRC directors discussed the past accomplishments of their centers and the prevention challenges they are currently addressing. In addition to these challenges, other session topics included the Congressional and administrative history of the program, the future goals of the program, and its interaction with other federal research funders.

The Prevention Research Centers Program is a network of 26 academic research centers in 24 states. Each PRC studies how people and their communities can avoid or counter the risks for chronic illnesses. These centers are located at either a school of public health or a medical school that has a preventive medicine residency program. As a result, the centers are leaders in translating research results into policy and public health practice.

 

(Peggy Hannon, PhD, MPH, Health Promotion Research Center, University of Washington, Lisa Powell, PhD, Illinois Prevention Research Center, University of Illinois – Chicago, Mehran S. Massoudi, PhD, MPH (CAPT, USPHS), Director, PRC Program, CDC, Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, University of Pennsylvania Prevention Research Center, University of Pennsylvania, Carolyn Johnson, PhD, MS,Tulane Prevention Research Center, Tulane University)

  

 

Controversies in New US Dietary Guidelines: UPenn Director Karen Glanz, PhD, on Knowledge@Wharton

Feb 18, 2016

Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH,  UPenn PRC Director, Co-Principal Investigator on The Healthy Weigh Study and Principal Investigator on The Skin Cancer Communication Project, spoke with Dan Loney on Knowledge@Wharton, the Wharton Business Radio program, about the new US government dietary guidelines.  Glanz noted how the sugar and meat industries hold a heavy influence on the government’s new dietary guidelines.

“The 2015 guidelines] are without question the result of a process that combines science, business, lobbying, and special interests,” Glanz said. One of the food categories vigorously represented by lobbyists in Washington, D.C., is sugar. Although the new guidelines recommend cutting down on sugar, they do not call out the well-documented need for Americans to reduce their consumption of sugary beverages. “Undoubtedly,” Glanz told Loney, “that reflects some industry influence.”

This influence comes from the sugar industry’s $20 billion annual impact on the national economy: a significant sum, but one that pales in comparison to the $44 billion annual impact of the beef industry.  Although the new guidelines may be confusing for some, Glanz says those who work in the field of nutrition recognize what the government guidelines carefully omitted or included.

 

 

The link to Dr. Glanz’s interview will be posted here when it becomes available from the Best of Knowledge@Wharton.

http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/current/2016-02-18/features/pik-professor-discusses-controversial-new-dietary-guidelines

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/category/business-radio/

UPenn PRC Director Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH: One of Thomson Reuters World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds and Highly Cited Researchers

Feb 18, 2016

PHILADELPHIA, January 14, 2016 — The Intellectual Property (IP) and Science business of Thomson Reuters, announces the release of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds,” a citation analysis identifying the scientists—as determined by their fellow researchers—who have made the  most significant global impact within their respective field of study.  UPenn PRC Director Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, was recognized in the Social Sciences, General category. Dr. Glanz has been on the Highly Cited list for over 20 years.

The two-part study includes an 11 year assessment of research paper citations to determine the leaders within 21 broad fields of science and a ranking of 2015’s  top scientists or  “hottest researchers.”

 

The 2015 hottest researchers ranking spotlights the scientific community’s emerging trends and 19 innovators, who recently published at least 14 papers with notably high levels of citations. The list was identified by tabulating citations within the Web of Science recorded during calendar year 2014 for papers published between 2012 and 2014.

“We are pleased to recognize the world’s most influential scientific minds; the innovators forging a path toward a brighter tomorrow,” said Vin Caraher, president Thomson Reuters IP & Science. “Citations serve as strong and reliable indicators of the work scientists judge to be most critical to ongoing global research, thus making the highly-cited researchers and hottest researchers a true reflection of the individuals, institutions and nations that are driving the pace of scientific discovery.”

 

http://stateofinnovation.thomsonreuters.com/worlds-most-influential-scientific-minds-report-2015

Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, UPenn PRC Director, Keynote Speaker at Int’l Conference on Skin Cancer Prevention

Dec 22, 2015

UPenn PRC Director Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, was a Keynote Speaker at the 3rd International Conference on UV and Skin Cancer Prevention in Melbourne Australia, Dec 7 – 11, 2015.

 

Speaking on the topic, “Effectiveness of Prevention on Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Reduction,” Dr. Glanz also was a panelist with Melanie Wakefield, PhD, of the Cancer Council, Victoria, Australia, and a consultant on the UPenn PRC Skin Cancer Prevention Communication Project, and Louisa Gordon, MPH, PhD, of Griffith University, NSW, Australia

 

 

 

UPenn PRC Director Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, releases 5th edition of Health Behavior – Theory, Research, and Practice

Dec 3, 2015

Author, Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, and co-editors Barbara K, Rimer, and K. Viswanath released the fifth edition of Health Behavior – Theory, Research, and Practice. The textbook has sold more than 250,000 copies in five languages.

“Every six years, we go through areas of the field that we think have really changed, and look for contributors who are the leaders in these areas,” Glanz says. They then ask each contributor to write an updated chapter on the health behavior theory within their expertise, its history and core components, and how it can be applied in research and practice.

Glanz says that research methods have grown more sophisticated since she published the first edition in 1990, with more complex statistical approaches and new ways of analyzing data. She also notes a significant expansion in the book’s audience, growing from public health and some nursing students with the first edition to include professionals in postgraduate medical education and a wide range of other disciplines.

“Every time we write the introduction of a new edition, we reflect on the global issues and events over the prior six years. For this latest edition, we considered the spread of pandemics such as Ebola. We have to know how to solve these problems,” she says, “and changing health behavior is a critical part of this work.”

 

Read the news in Penn Today here.

 

 

Link between red and processed meat and cancer on Knowledge@Wharton

Nov 30, 2015

On SiriusXM’s Knowledge@Wharton, Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, UPenn PRC Director and Professor of Epidemiology, and Jason Riis, PhD, Marketing Lecturer at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, discussed how the World Health Organization came to its conclusions about a link between red & processed meats and colorectal cancer, how important it is to understand the measurements that were used, and how cancers and diseases other than colorectal cancer should be considered among the health risks.

Read the WHO Q & A here.

https://businessradio.wharton.upenn.edu/bestof/knowledge-@wharton/?h=jra57

Prostate Cancer Evidence Academy at the University of Pennsylvania , Nov 13, 2015

Nov 19, 2015

Under the direction of Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, and Tim Rebbeck, PhD, the UPenn PRC, the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network, and the Penn Center for Excellence in Prostate Cancer Disparities presented the Prostate Cancer Evidence Academy at the University of Pennsylvania. Nearly 100 attendees, including researchers, policymakers, survivors, and advocates, as well as physicians and other health care providers, gathered for a comprehensive symposium on prostate cancer prevention, control, awareness, and education.

Dr. Glanz, Director of the UPenn PRC, introduced the plenary sessions and keynote.

Linda Jacobs, PhD, RN, presented at a Survivorship/Advocacy session on the Medical and Psychosocial Effects of Cancer Treatment in Survivors. Dr. Jacobs discussed the shift in prostate cancer research from cure to long-term survivorship and long-term vs. late effects of treatment. She is a Co-Investigator for UPenn PRC SIP 15-001 Self-Management Education for Childhood Cancer Survivors.

A panel discussion, “Research to Policy: Improving Prostate Cancer Outcomes,” was moderated by Neha Vapiwala, MD, University of Pennsylvania, and included Lorelei Mucci, ScD, MPH, Epidemiology, Christopher Saigal, MD, Medical Decision Making, Justin Bekelman, MD, Research and Practice, and Michael Scott, Activism and Education.

Christopher J. Logothetis, MD, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center

“Transitioning from a Prognostic to a Predictive Classification of Prostate Cancer”

Lorelei Mucci, ScD,MPH, Harvard, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University

“Epidemiology of Prostate Cancer Risk and Progression”

Colonel Jim Williams, MS, Pennsylvania Prostate Cancer Coalition

“Men: The Silent Majority – Prostate Cancer Advocacy”

 

http://cpcrn.org/about/

http://www.med.upenn.edu/chbr/Research-P60.shtml

http://penncmeonline.com/sites/beta.penncme.com/files/can-fy16-8562-prostate_cancer_evidence_academy_brochure-final-single_pge_pdf.pdf

 

Prostate Cancer Evidence Academy 2015

Nov 13, 2015

This one-day CME/CNE-certified conference presents the latest evidence, research, and model programs that are proven effective or being studied to improve prostate cancer prevention, control, treatment, and survivorship.  Therefore, the goal of the event is to engage clinicians, public health professionals, policymakers, and patients/survivors to reduce the burden of prostate cancer and bridge the gap between research and practice.

 

What: The Prostate Cancer Evidence Academy, a continuing education event hosted by The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

 

When: Friday, Nov. 13, 2015, from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM

 

Where: The Inn at Penn, 3600 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

 

Registration is no longer available.

As a result, of this and other evidence academies, the team published an article in Preventive Medicine. Read the journal article here.

Children’s Physical Activity Related to Neighborhood Features

Jul 30, 2015

A new study shows neighborhood factors that limit the amount of physical activity children get outside of school. The research, conducted by UPenn PRC Director Karen Glanz and others, examined two urban regions in the United States (San Diego and Seattle). They found that safety and walkability affect the amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) that children participate in outside of school. Other important factors include parents’ views on transit access, traffic safety, and crime in their respective neighborhoods. The United States government proposes that 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity is necessary for children age six to eleven. However, while children within these age groups do end up achieving this amount of activity, there is, unfortunately, a steep drop in MVPA once these children reach adolescence, so investigators emphasize the importance of studying factors that affect children and adolescents’ MVPA.

Acknowledging and changing the multitude of factors that influence children’s MVPA may be the key to increasing healthy behaviors, such as physical activity, outside of school. Research that identifies factors that support higher MVPA can also inform policy-makers when zoning laws come into question.

Read the article here.

Kurka J, Adams M, Todd M, Colburn T, Sallis J, Cain K, Glanz K, Frank L, Saelens B. Patterns of neighborhood environment attributes in relation to children’s physical activity. Health & Place, July 2015, 34:164-170.

 

Qualitative Assessments and Mapping Allow Researchers to Identify Asthmatic Triggers

Jul 30, 2015

A new study based on qualitative research conducted in West Philadelphia finds that the main triggers for asthma are stress, environmental irritants, and environmental allergens. The team of researchers, which included UPenn PRC advisory board member Frances Barg, UPenn PRC director Karen Glanz, and UPenn PRC project manager Sarah Green, involved qualitative interviews and GIS mapping to categorize a variety of influences that influence asthma events in smaller sub-sections of West Philadelphia, which are primarily low-income and African American. By using a mixed-methods procedure, the researchers were able to more fully understand and define the components of “stress,” including aggravated assault and theft, in the study of asthma.

By combining the techniques of “free-list” interviews (interviews in which participants are asked to list the things that can trigger their asthma) with mapping, researchers could better understand asthma triggers in an urban, mostly minority environment. The combination of these qualitative study methods has a positive implication for the outcomes of community-based research. It allows for a body of researchers and community members to create a network of information that can allow for a better understanding of environmental triggers based on geography. This information can ultimately lead to more effective control of asthma in a variety of communities.

Read the article here.

Keddem S, Barg F, Glanz F, Jackson T, Green S, George M. Mapping the urban asthma experience: Using qualitative GIS to understand contextual factors affecting asthma control. Social Science & Medicine, July 2015, 140:9-17.

How Do Sugar-Sweetened Beverage-Related Public Service Advertisements Influence Parents?

Jul 23, 2015

UPenn PRC’s Amy Jordan PhD, Amy Bleakley, PhD, MPH, Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, and Andrew Strasser, PhD, using a novel experimental approach, identifying the effectiveness of distinct persuasive strategies used in audiovisual (television-format) public service advertisements (PSAs) designed to encourage parents to reduce their children’s sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption. Evaluation of existing SSB-related PSAs is vitally important because it can provide insight into which persuasive appeals are most effective for audiences, particularly those most at risk for overweight and obesity
Their findings suggest that anti-SSB campaigns targeting parents should include strong arguments for sugar-sweetened beverage reduction, invoke feelings of empowerment and hope, and be clearly directed at distinct parent audiences. At the same time the authors recognize that while individual actions may be helpful, the obesogenic environment that surrounds children may subvert even the most involved and well-intentioned parents. Appeals to personal parenting responsibility should be made in concert with efforts to create healthier structural, nutritional, and preventative environments.

Read the article here.

Jordan A, Bleakley A, Hennessy M, Vaala S, Glanz K, Strasser AA. Sugar-Sweetened Beverage-Related Public Service Advertisements and Their Influence on Parents. American Behavioral Scientist. 2015;59(14):1847-1865.

 

 

 

Development of the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS-P)

Jun 25, 2015

In the American Journal of Preventive Medicine July 2015, PRC Director Dr. Karen Glanz and Sarah Green of the Center for Health Behavior Research, University of Pennsylvania, discuss the development of the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS-P). As a result, it has the ability to discern differences between lower- and higher-SES neighborhoods.

 

One of the most widely used observational measures of the nutrition environment, the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS), developed by Dr. Glanz’s team, is used to study a range of food environments and contexts and evaluate policy and environment interventions. NEMS data have been collected throughout the U.S. and internationally by trained researchers, nutritionists, and public health professionals.

 

The NEMS-P, developed using a multiphase systematic measurement development process, has been shown to be easy to understand and have good test-retest reliability. In addition, it discriminates between neighborhood food environments in disadvantaged compared to more affluent communities. The NEMS-P is an important step forward in developing a psychometrically sound and conceptually grounded tool that can be used in a variety of communities and complement observational and geospatial assessments of nutrition environments.

 

Read the article here.

 

Green S, Glanz K. Development of the Perceived Nutrition Environment Measures Survey. American Journal of Preventive Medicine July 2015, 49:1, 50-61.