Our behavior and choices have a tremendous impact on our physical health, mood, and quality of life. CHR has a long history of conducting studies to help people change their diet, lose weight and keep it off, become more active, and stop smoking. These changes can be vital to prevent, manage, and treat chronic disease, and live healthier lives.
The approaches we test may be offered in the health care system or the community—or they might be delivered remotely, using the Internet or mobile phones. The goal is to find more effective and accessible ways to help people lead healthier lives.
For example, smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. While most smokers want to quit someday, giving up tobacco is hard. CHR Director and Distinguished Investigator Jennifer McClure, PhD wants to ensure everyone has access to the tools and support they need to quit tobacco. Her research has shown the importance of tailoring interventions, to improve their acceptability, and using different outreach strategies, to improve accessibility. Her latest research includes testing a novel phone counseling program for veterans who smoke and two mHealth apps: one designed to help people learn how to quit, so they can take action when they are ready to make a change, and one testing the use of behavioral activation, a common treatment for depression.