Newsletter of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine

No. 5 / Volume 4 / September 2004

Contents

• News from the editor
• Letter from the President
• Development of new societies
• News from the editor of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
• Reminder of the conference in Mainz
• International Workshops ICBM 2004, Mainz Germany
• ICBM satellite meeting in Budapest, Hungary, August 29-31 2004
• 9th ICBM Congress in Bangkok in the year 2006
• Fourth Annual International Conference of Thai Society of Behavioural Medicine and Second Asian Regional Conference on Behavioural Medicine
• Research on the transtheoretical model (TTM): Where are we now, where are we going?
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Central Queensland University, Australia
  
  
  
  

News from the editor

I am pleased to introduce another Newsletter to our members. In this newsletter the main focus is again on upcoming events, and we hope that a number of our members will attend the ICBM in Mainz.

We will try to get more information out in the newsletter, and this time we present some of the ideas around evidence-based behavioural medicine. Archie Cochrane' has had a profound influence on the practice of medicine and on the evaluation of medical interventions. He was among the first to set out clearly the vital importance of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in assessing the effectiveness of treatments, and his work led directly to the setting-up of the Cochrane Collaboration (http://www.cochrane.org), dedicated to tracking down, evaluating and synthesising RCTs in all areas of medicine. Members of The Society of behavioural medicine published recently a paper: Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine: What is it and how do we achieve it? Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 2003, 26(3);161-171. The paper deal with explicit problems related to behavioural medicine, in addition to describe the 22 CONSORT guidelines and explain their application to behavioural medicine research and to evidence-based practice. In addition, specific guidelines for behavioural medicine are presented. The authors state that use of these guidelines by clinicians, educators, policymakers, and researchers who design, report, and evaluate or review RCTs will strengthen the research itself and accelerate efforts to apply behavioural medicine research to improve the processes and outcomes of behavioural medicine practice.

This paper is highly recommended to everyone that deals with intervention research. If behavioural medicine is going to grow and have major influence, we need to strengthen the quality of our research and move even more towards evidence-based medicine than we are already. The CONSORT (Consolidated Standards for Reporting Trials - http://www.consort-statement.org) was developed to improve the design and reporting of RCTs in medical journals. Here you will find different checklists of what to remember when designing and reporting RCTs.

Any input and/or announcements you have are welcome, and should be emailed to the editor.

The next Newsletter is planned to be published in fall 2004. However, depending on the amount of news, I will consider a Newsletter before that.

Hege R. Eriksen
Editor

Letter from the president

Dear members of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine

It is a pleasure for me to share with you some information about and ideas related to the International Society of Behavioral Medicine. The basic ideas of behavioral medicine are being increasingly attended to and adopted within science, clinical medicine, and public health in many parts of the world. The first behavioral medicine society - the SBM in the United States - is celebrating its 25th Anniversery this year. Twentyfive years may seem long or short, but however, behavioral medicine is "hotter than ever".

Thus it is no surprise that the ISBM is adding new member societies. Currently, a Spanish as well as an Italian soceity are applying for membership. We welcome them warmly. A number of us are in touch with other interested people in different parts of the world and try to give all possible support in helping to form new national societies. Of particular interest is the contacts with several Asian countries. The ICBM of 2006 will be hosted by the Thai Society of Behavioral Medicine, and the Japanese society has expressed serious interest in hosting the 2008 Congress.

The international congresses are of utmost importance for promoting behavioral medicine. Therefore it is natural that the main activities of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine since the EC/GC meeting in Thailand in June have been related to the upcoming 8th International Congress in Mainz in August 2004. Members of the Program Committee are working very hard and have solicited a large number of high-quality submissions and contributions. The upcoming meeting promises to be the largest so far of our international congresses.

A major task for myself has been to pursue the collaboration with the European Society of Cardiology. As the official representative of the ISBM I was invited to participate in the Joint European Societies CVD Prevention Committee meeting in Nice on October 31, 2004. Of importance for the ISBM was the discussion of the launching of the 3rd Joint Task Force Guidelines on CVD prevention in clinical practice. Kristina Orth-Gomér has represented the ISBM in this work and is greatly acknowledged for her important contribution. The full and final version of the guidelines was published as a supplement to the December Issue of the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation.

I want to remind you that some offices of the ISBM are open for nominations. The elections will be held during the ISBM Governing Council meeting in Mainz in August. The following offices are up for election: President-Elect, Secretary, Communications Committee Chair, and International Collaborative Committee Chair. Officers who have served their four year term may be re-elected. As stated in the Bylaws, any person who is a member of a full membership society can nominate a person to an office. You can nominate persons for the Chair as well as Co-Chair position. Nominations should be submitted by mail to the Secretary (cc: to the President). The list of nominated persons will be circulated to the member societies at the latest one month before the Governing Council meeting in Mainz on August 24, 2004.

Finally, let us think about the future. I encourage you to think about future congress sites. Discuss within your own national society the feasibility of hosting a congress, share the experiences of present and past hosting societies. The ISBM congresses have grown larger every time, which is very pleasing - and demands much work in terms of logistics and scientific planning. It is a process of a number of years, so I ask you to start thinking now that YOUR society can do it. It is a very rewarding experience.

I hereby welcome you to the congress in Mainz in August this year, and look forward to meeting many of you there.

Uppsala March 21, 2004

Gunilla Burell, Ph.D.
President of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine

Development of new societies

In the last Governing Council Meeting of the ISBM held in Mainz on February 6-8, Victoria Gordillo was invited to explain the planning and development of a Spanish Society of Behavioral Medicine. She is a Professor of Psychology at the Complutense University of Madrid, and was in the ISBM Conference in Brisbane (2000).

Prof. Neil Schneiderman who spoke to Eduardo Remor, a young Spanish academic who spent his summer working in Miami, made the first approach to this new Society. The motivation for this decision is the fact that during the past several years research on topics related to behavioral medicine has been high in Spain. Although there are not academics degrees in Behavioral Medicine (because it is included in Health Psychology), different Master Programs are developed around physical and psychological disorders from an interdisciplinary perspective. Therefore, we considered the potential for the development of a national society of Behavioral Medicine. After speaking with colleagues of different disciplines (medicine, education, psychology, etc) and universities, the list of possible full members is around 40, and will increase in the next months. Always regarding the necessary balance of interests between physicians and behavioral/social scientists. One of our objectives is incorporating young people interested in international collaborative research in behavioral medicine. Our interests are HIV/AIDS, aging, adherence to treatment, health prevention and education, quality of life and chronic diseases, drug and substance abuses, behavioral intervention, stress management, healthy life styles, cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

In order to apply for membership in ISBM the Spanish Society will provide in a short time a copy of their Charter and By-Laws, and a list of members and their disciplines. We expect also to be able to participate actively in the next International Congress of Behavioral Medicine in Mainz.

Expansion of IJBM format
From 2004 the format size of IJBM has increased from 6 x 9 to an 8.5 x 11 format and 288 pages per year, which means that about 32 articles can be published each year, compared to 24 before. The lists of content of the first two issues of 2004 are enclosed.

Subscription to IJBM
A majority of the national societies have accepted the electronic subscription to IJBM for an annual cost of five US dollars. Some individuals are also subscribing to the printed version.

Special Issue
Lynda Powell and Gail Ironson will be Guest Editors for a Special Issue of IJBM on Positive Psychology (announced in IJBM 10, 3). Deadline for submissions has been expanded to March 31, 2004. Michael Antoni is planning a future Special Issue on Behavioral Medicine and Cancer.

The content of IJBM 11:1 and IJBM 11:2 are listed below.

TABLE OF CONTENTS IJBM 11´1

Ulf Lundberg
Editor IJBM

Reminder of the conference in Mainz

The next Congress is the Eighth International Congress, in Mainz, Germany, 25 - 28 august 2004. Mainz is about 20 minutes from Frankfurt by train. Deadline for submissions is December 1, notification of acceptance should be in your hands by March, 2004. Please note that information and submissions can be get/made via Internet http://www.icbm-2004.com.

International Workshops ICBM 2004, Mainz Germany
25-28 August 2004, Mainz, Germany

"Integrating Social and Behavioral Sciences with Medicine and Public Health"

Organized by the International Society of Behavioral Medicine (ISBM) and the German Society of Behavioral Medicine and Behavior Modification (DGVM)

A broad range of exciting workshops will be part of the programme on Wednesday, 25 August 2004. International scientists present 3-hour workshops in their field of expertise - giving the opportunity to intensive discussions and considering practical applications in behavioral medicine.

For registration and further information on the International workshops: http://www.icbm-2004.com.

ICBM satellite meeting in Budapest, Hungary, August 29-31 2004

"THE ROLE OF BEHAVIOURAL MEDICINE IN UNDERSTANDING AND PREVENTING THE MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY CHALLENGES OCCURRING IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES"

Satellite of the Eighth International Congress of Behavioural Medicine (Mainz, Germany, August 25-28, 2004)

Click here to download the program.

9th ICBM Congress in Bangkok in the year 2006

From the Meeting in Mainz in February 6-7, 2004, the ISBM Governing Council and Executive Committees have agreed to have the Thai Society of Behavioural Medicine hosting the 9th ICBM Congress in Bangkok in the year 2006. The tentative date will be from Monday 27th November to Saturday 2nd December 2006, and the tentative venue will be at the Sofietel Central Plaza Hotel and Bangkok Convention Center.

Fourth Annual International Conference of Thai Society of Behavioural Medicine and Second Asian Regional Conference on Behavioural Medicine

The Thai Society of Behavioural Medicine (TSBM) is planning to hold its 4th Annual International Conference jointly with the Second Asian Regional Conference on Behavioral Medicine at the Siam City Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand between December 6-9, 2004. TSBM would like to invite members of ISBM and their national members, and all those who are doing research or practicing, and interested in Behavioral Medicine, medical and graduate students to actively participate in the forthcoming conference and preconference teaching and training workshops (Saturday 4th December 2004 at Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakornpathom, Thailand).

For details and download see http://neuroscience.mahidol.ac.th/4tsbm or contact: scnkc@mahidol.ac.th

Downloads

	Bangkok 2004 brochure
	Abstract submission form
	Registration form

Research on the transtheoretical model (TTM):
Where are we now, where are we going?

On behalf of the Institute for Medical Psychology in Marburg, I would like to invite you to attend this international meeting/conference.

The conference will take place in Marburg, Germany, on August 23 and 24, 2004, i.e. the two days preceding the conference of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine in Mainz, Germany.

The goal of this meeting is to bring together some of the leading international researchers in the field of behaviour change in order to discuss current trends in health promotion research based on theoretical frameworks like the TTM. The conference will also be a forum for coordinating international research efforts. Exchanging current research results will hopefully allow participants to set up or intensify international collaborations and to further stimulate health promotion research.

We are happy that the following invited speakers have confirmed their participation:

Hein de Vries (NL)
Carlo DiClemente (U.S.A.)
Kerry Evers (U.S.A.)
Ralf Schwarzer (GER)
Wayne Velicer (U.S.A.)

We cordially invite you to contribute to the meeting by presenting your latest research results as oral or poster presentation. Since we would like to leave enough time for discussions, the number of oral research presentations will be limited. Deadline for all submissions and registration is MAY 15, 2004. Because the total number of participants will also be limited, early registration is recommended.

For the latest information, please look at our website:
www.med.uni-marburg.de/ttm or contact us at
ttm@med.uni-marburg.de

Please feel free to forward this announcement to anyone who might be interested in this meeting. Because this info-mail is distributed through several mailing lists you may receive multiple copies.

On behalf of the local organizers, best wishes from Marburg,

Stefan Keller

Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Central Queensland University, Australia.

Please find information below about an employment opportunity for a Senior Postdoctoral Fellow with the 10,000 Steps Project in Rockhampton, Queensland. The 10,000 Steps project is currently Australia 's largest community-based physical activity promotion project. Ongoing funding has been secured to extend the reach of the program across the State of Queensland and throughout Australia.

Applications are sought for the position of Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the area of physical activity and health promotion to contribute to ongoing research in the area of health-related physical activity within the Centre for Social Science Research at Central Queensland University. The successful applicant must have a PhD in Health Promotion, Human Movement Science or a related field with particular skills in the area of public health. A background in successful project management and population-based research would be advantageous. Individuals who have submitted their PhD for examination may consider applying. The postdoctoral research fellow will be appointed in association with the existing 10,000 Steps Rockhampton Physical Activity Promotion project funded by Queensland Health. The on-going project is aimed at developing, implementing and evaluating an innovative community-based, multi-strategy health promotion program on physical activity and the social determinants of health.

This is a 12 month fixed term full-time appointment at the Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow Level B. The remuneration package will be in the range of $65,000 per annum, including leave loading and employer superannuation entitlements.

Central Queensland University is Tropical Australia's largest University. The region's climate supports an outdoor lifestyle all year round. Rockhampton sits on the Tropic of Capricorn and has two seasons - wet and dry - rather than the four seasons of the Temperate Zone. The city experiences three months of wet season conditions from December to February and nine months of fine sunny weather. Average maximum temperatures range from 23 - 32 degree Celsius while average minimums range from 11 23 degrees Celsius.

Salary: $56,141.00 per annum (AUD)

Enquiries can be made to
Kerry Mummery, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Health and Human Performance
Central Queensland University
Rockhampton, Queensland
AUSTRALIA 4702
Phone 07-4930-6749
Mobile 0408 6749 11
Fax 07-4930-9871
Email k.mummery@cqu.edu.au
Website 10,000 Steps Physical Activity