Article by Kurt Stange in Annals of Family Medicine

Congratulations to our colleague Kurt Stange for an editorial that challenges the very design of our health care system!

https://www.annfammed.org/content/21/3/202

 

IBH-PC Main Study Paper under revision for Annals of Family Medicine

Good news is always fun to share: we submitted our manuscript for the main results of the IBH-PC study to the Annals of Family Medicine in December and today learned that the journal is interested in publishing it contingent on minor revisions.  While not an accepted manuscript yet, this is an important next step to sharing our findings with the field.  Co-authors will be working on revisions in the next month and resubmitting for a final decision.  Mazel tov, everyone!  Sharing our progress, as well as the coming of spring with new buds on the trees, is always worth celebrating together.

IBH-PC data used to assess effects of exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic

Congratulations to Levi Bonnell, UVM Doctoral Candidate, and his collaborators for their latest publication based on data from the Integrating Behavioral Health in Primary Care study.

The Relationship Between Mental and Physical Health and Walking During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Levi N. Bonnell, Jessica Clifton, Mariana Wingood, Nancy Gell and Benjamin Littenberg

The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine September 2022, https://www.jabfm.org/content/early/2022/09/01/jabfm.2022.AP.220090

Introduction: COVID-19 policies such as quarantining, social isolation, and lockdowns are an essential public health measure to reduce the spread of disease but may lead to reduced physical activity. Little is known if these changes are associated with changes in physical or mental health.

Methods: Between September 2017 and December 2018 (baseline) and March 2020 and February 2021 (follow-up), we obtained self-reported demographic, health, and walking (only at follow-up) data on 2042 adults in primary care with multiple chronic health conditions. We examined whether the perceived amount of time engaged in walking was different compared with prepandemic levels and if this was associated with changes in Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-29 mental and physical health summary scores. Multivariable linear regression controlling for demographic, health, and neighborhood information were used to assess this association.

Results: Of the 2042 participants, 9% reported more walking, 28% reported less, and 52% reported the same amount compared with prepandemic levels. Nearly 1/3 of participants reported less walking during the pandemic. Multivariable models revealed that walking less or not at all was associated with negative changes in mental (ß = −1.0; 95% CI [−1.6, −0.5]; ß = −2.2; 95% CI [−2.9, −1.4]) and physical (ß = −0.9; 95% CI [−1.5, −0.3]; ß = −3.1; 95% CI [−4.0, −2.3]) health, respectively. Increasing walking was significantly associated with a positive change in physical health (ß = 1.3; 95% CI [0.3, 2.2]).

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the importance of walking during the COVID-19 pandemic. Promotion of physical activity should be taken into consideration when mandating restrictions to slow the spread of disease. Primary care providers can assess patient’s walking patterns and implement brief interventions to help patients improve their physical and mental health through walking.