Clinical trials

The overarching goal of this study is to increase cervical cancer (CC) screening rates among Indigenous women in the U.S. Specifically, the study aims to develop and evaluate a culturally tailored, multilevel, multimedia mobile web app intervention (wPap) for women of the Yankton Sioux Tribe (YST) living on the YST Reservation in South Dakota. The wPap intervention will be tested in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) involving 120 YST women aged 25-65. Participants will be randomly assigned to either: (a) the wPap intervention group (n = 60), receiving personalized, culturally tailored multilevel multimedia messages through a mobile web app along with health navigator support, or (b) a waitlist control group (n = 60), receiving printed educational materials on cervical cancer and screening guidelines along with health navigator support. The intervention will last seven days, with assessments conducted at baseline, one week post-intervention, and six months post-intervention via surveys and telephone follow-up. The study tests the following hypotheses: (H1) women in the wPap intervention group will achieve higher CC screening rates than the waitlist control group; (H2) the wPap group will demonstrate greater improvements in knowledge, attitudes/beliefs, self-efficacy, and intention to undergo CC screening; and (H3) the wPap group will report higher satisfaction and acceptance of the intervention compared with the waitlist control group. Findings will inform the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of mobile web app interventions tailored to Indigenous communities to improve CC screening.

The goal of this randomized control group is to learn about effective treatments for college students experiencing anxiety and/or depression. The main questions this clinical trial aims to answer are: 1) Can mindfulness-based treatments increase retention rates among first-generation college students? 1) Can mindfulness-based treatments decrease anxiety and/or depression among first-generation college students? Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two intervention groups: mindfulness meditation or psychoeducation. Researchers will compare outcomes from each group to explore treatment differences.

Foam rolling (FR) is a common tool and procedure used in rehabilitation. Previous research has demonstrated physical improvements in range of motion and subjective reductions in pain post-intervention. Most of the literature theorizes potential biophysical reasons for these changes, but definitive studies are lacking. Another potential mechanism for these improvements may be psychological. The purpose of this study is to explore the psychological changes that occur in response to the instructions given to the patient and how these may influence the outcomes the individual receives while undergoing FR. Different instructions will be given for the same technique of FR to see if there are differences in changes with pain and range of motion.

Exercised induced hypoalgesia (EIH) (reduction in pain) after exercise has been studied in the literature, but no comparisons have been made specifically looking at different types of exercise (isometric/dynamic moving through a range of motion with resistance versus isotonic/applying static resistance to a joint not moving) with neck muscle strengthening. This study will explore to see if one form of exercise is superior to the other in providing EIH. Another benefit of exercise is improving proprioception (knowing where our body is in space). Again no specific investigation has been done comparing isometric versus isotonic exercises for neck muscles. Both of these exercises are often prescribed in physical therapy so further understanding the benefits of them can help improve the prescription of exercises for patients.