Developed countries are currently facing the trend of aging societies, which leads to citizens being more prone to diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. Based on the amount of time and money that care of...Show moreDeveloped countries are currently facing the trend of aging societies, which leads to citizens being more prone to diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. Based on the amount of time and money that care of patients with dementia costs every year, growing numbers of people with this condition, are expected to put significant pressure on the healthcare system. One of the strategies to approach this crisis is digitalization. This study aimed to identify significant predictors for the behavioral intention (BI) to use digital tools (DT) for brain health, focusing on mobile device proficiency, technology acceptance, health literacy, and motivation to change lifestyle and health behaviors for dementia risk reduction, while controlling for age. Four DT (ADappt, MijnBreincoach, cCog, and Neurokeys) were analyzed separately due to their unique functions and designs. The study hypothesized that health literacy and motivation to change lifestyle and health behaviors for dementia risk reduction would predict BI, as would mobile device proficiency and technology acceptance, while age would influence these relationships. The sample included 507 participants, spanning ages 20 to 89. Data was collected through an online questionnaire measuring the aforementioned variables. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the Health Model, including motivation to change lifestyle and health behaviors for dementia risk reduction and health literacy, significantly predicted the willingness to use most of the studied tools. High motivation to change lifestyle and health behaviors for dementia risk reduction (DRR) was associated with lower BI. Which might have been caused by the lack of direct influence of these tools on DRR. The Technology Model, involving mobile device proficiency and technology acceptance, significantly predicted behavioral intention to use cCog, web based diagnostic tool. Age moderated the relationships within the Technology Model for cCog, with mobile device proficiency being more relevant for older participants and technology acceptance for younger participants. Overall, this exploratory study sheds light on the factors influencing behavioral intention to use digital tools for brain health. These findings contribute to understanding the barriers and facilitators of adopting digital tools for brain health, potentially informing strategies to increase their implementation among the general public.Show less
Itch is an evolutionary mechanism that protects one from harm. It is an unpleasant sensation that often leads to scratching or rubbing. Some skin conditions have itching as a primary symptom....Show moreItch is an evolutionary mechanism that protects one from harm. It is an unpleasant sensation that often leads to scratching or rubbing. Some skin conditions have itching as a primary symptom. Moreover, it is an experience that is likely to draw attention. Therefore, attentional bias might be found in patients with a chronic itch condition. However, it has not been investigated whether experiencing a higher level of itch symptoms leads to a higher attentional bias towards itch. The aim of this research is to investigate whether patients with a chronic itch condition that experience more itch symptoms (at the current moment of testing) will have a higher attentional bias score as opposed to people with fewer itch symptoms. The subjects of this study were 5 patients with a chronic itch condition (atopic dermatitis and/or psoriasis). In order to answer the research question participants filled in questionnaires and an attention bias task (dot-probe task with itch-related pictures) was performed. To establish the level of itch symptoms participants filled in a scale from 0 to 10. The result did not indicate higher attentional bias in patients with higher itch symptoms. The results did not support the expectation that a higher level of itch symptoms leads to a higher attentional bias towards itch. However, this might be due to the low number of participants. Future research should take coping style into account.Show less
