Beth Bock's primary research interests are in examining innovative interventions for smoking cessation, exercise promotion, and the use of computer-based technologies in behavior change. She is currently principal investigator (PI) on two National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-funded studies examining smoking cessation interventions for emergency medical patients.

Biography

Dr. Bock's primary research interests are in exercise, smoking cessation and the application of communication technology to assist health behavior change ("Behavioral Informatics"). She is the Principal Investigator on an NIH-funded study to develop a text-message delivered intervention for smoking cessation. She is also the PI of an NIH-funded study to test the efficacy of yoga as a complementary therapy for individuals who are trying to quit smoking. Dr. Bock has also been PI and co-investigator on a variety of physical activity studies using expert systems and the Internet as treatment delivery mechanisms. Dr. Bock conducts research with Quitnet.com an Internet site for smokers attempting to quit and is a founding member of the WATI (Web Assisted Tobacco Interventions) research group. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and is a member of an NIH study section (RPHB).

Institutions

Mh

Research Description

Beth Bock, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine at Brown Medical School and The Miriam Hospital. Her primary research interests are in examining innovative interventions for smoking cessation, exercise promotion, and the use of computer-based technologies in behavior change. She is currently Principal Investigator on two National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-funded studies examining smoking cessation interventions for emergency medical patients. The first of these (R01-HL60986) examines whether admission for 24 hours to the emergency observation unit for chest pain provides a teachable moment in which smokers can become motivated to quit. The second study (R01-HL65595) casts a broader net by recruiting smokers who present to the emergency department with respiratory symptoms.

Selected Research Projects

Interactive Technologies to Increase Exercise Behavior.

National Institutes of Health: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. 2003-2006. Co-Investigator. (B. Marcus, PI). This project tests the relative efficacy of a tailored and a non-tailored internet intervention compared with a print-based intervention to promote physical activity.

Tailored Exercise Support for Cardiac Patients.

National Institutes of Health: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. 2004-2008. Principal Investigator. This study examines the efficacy of a tailored print intervention to help promote continued physical activity following phase II cardiac rehabilitation.

Internet and Telephone Treatment for Smoking Cessation.

National Institutes of Health: National Cancer Institute. 2004-2008. Co-Investigator (D. Abrams, PI). This study examines the efficacy of a smoking cessation intervention delivered via the Internet.

Shake It Up for Alcohol and Substance Use Reduction

Beth Bock, Ph.D. (PI subcontract). The goal of this project is to pilot a multidisciplinary approach to improving health and decreasing health care utilization for people with disabilities focusing on smoking cessation, decreased substance use, and increased physical exercise.

Smoking Cessation in Emergency Respiratory Patients

Beth Bock, Ph.D. (PI). This study continues and expands investigation of the "teachable moment" and the factors which motivate smokers to quit. This study also tests the relative efficacy of two smoking cessation interventions among patients with acute respiratory illness being treated in an Emergency Department. Emergency respiratory patients who smoke are recruited and provided with an individually tailored interview or care as usual.

Smoking Cessation in the Chest Pain Observation Unit

Beth Bock, Ph.D. (PI). The major goal of this project is to examine the existence of "the teachable moment" and the relative efficacy of two brief interventions for increasing smoking cessation rates among patients admitted to the observation unit with symptoms of chest pain. Patients admitted through the emergency department for 24-hour observation for chest pain are randomly assigned to receive either a motivationally tailored intervention or state-of-the-art care according to national tobacco treatment guidelines.

Awards

1999 - New Investigator Award. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.
2003 - The Francis Wayland Collegium, Brown University. Course Development Award. E-Health: Computers, the Internet and Health Care Delivery.
2003 - Community Service Award. Brown University, Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital.

Affiliations

Editorial Board, Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
Member, National Institutes of Health -Center for Scientific Review (NIH-CSR) study section. Social Sciences and Population Studies (SSSD-10)
Assistant Editor for the journal Addiction
Member, Miriam Hospital Clinical Research Review Board (IRB).
Member, American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
Member, American Psychological Association (APA):
--Division 38, Health Psychology:
--Division 47, Exercise and Sport Psychology.
Member, Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM).
--Co-Chair: Behavioral Informatics Special Interest Group.
Member, Society for Research in Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT).
Member, American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Funded Research

Principal Investigator. 1992.
Exercise and Eating Disturbance in College Students.
Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid for Graduate Research. $500.

Co-Investigator (K. Stoney, Principal Investigator). 1994-1995.
Physiological Reactivity and Exposure to Stress.
Brown University Research Support Grant. $14,400.

Co-Principal Investigator (B. Marcus, Principal Investigator). 1994-1996.
Development and Evaluation of an Exercise Expert System for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction.
American Heart Association. $57,982.

Co-Investigator (B. Marcus, Principal Investigator). 1994-1996.
Smoking Cessation, Weight Gain, and Exercise in Underserved Women.
National Institutes of Health (NIH): Office of Research on Women's Health. $ 99,287.

Co-Investigator (R. Niaura, Principal Investigator). 1996-1999.
Motivation and Nicotine Patch Treatment for Under-served Smokers.
NIH: National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). $1,200,000.

Principal Investigator. 1998-1999.
Smoking Cessation in the Chest Pain Observation Unit.
Department of Psychiatry Research Support Grant, Brown University School of Medicine. $12,500.

Co-Investigator. (M. Goldstein, PI).
Immunizing Against Pediatric Tobacco Use in Health Care. 1998-2003.
NIH: NCI. $1,799,600.

Co- Investigator. (B. Marcus, Principal Investigator) 1998-2002.
Moderate Exercise to Aid Smoking Cessation in Women.
NIH: NCI. $1,057,556.

Principal Investigator. 1999-2002.
Smoking Cessation in the Emergency Department. American Heart Association, 500,000.

Co-investigator. (F. Bock, PI). 1999-2002.
Computerized Smoking Cessation Support.
NIH: NCI. 5-R44 CA74624. $354,293.

Co-Investigator. (D. Abrams, PI). 1999-2003.
Nicotine Dependence: Risk and Recovery Over Generations. Project 2 - Adolescent Progression of Nicotine Dependence.
NIH: NCI and NIDA CA-98-029 $1,495,455

Principal Investigator. 1999-2003.
Smoking Cessation Interventions in the Chest Pain Observation Unit.
NIH: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. HL-60986 $1,377,260.

Principal Investigator. 2000-2004.
Smoking Cessation in Emergency Respiratory Patients.
NIH: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. 1-R01-HL/CA65595 $2,033,656.

Co-Investigator: (B. Marcus, PI). 2000-2004.
Exercise Instructions via Phone or Print.
NIH: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). R01 HL64342 $1,600,577.

Principal Investigator (subcontract: B.Becker PI). 2000-2002.
Smoking Cessation for Mothers and Other Household Members of Babies Being Treated in a Special Care Nursery.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. $529,651.

Co-Investigator: (P. Block, PI). 2001-2003.
Shake it Up for Alcohol and Substance Use Reduction.
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).

Consultant: (J. Christian, PI). 2002-2004.
Computer Assisted Support for Diabetics.
NIH SBIR award (1 R43 DK066711-01) to PHCC, Ltd. Pueblo, Colorado.

Co-Investigator: (F. Bock, PI). 2002-2003.
Effectiveness of Pharmacist Support for Smoking Cessation.
NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award (1 R43 CA99881-01) to BTTF, Inc. Attleboro, Massachusetts.

Co-Investigator (J. Christian, PI). 2003-2005.
Computer Assisted Support for Under-Served Diabetics.
NIH: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases 1 R43 DK60272 $99,978.

Co-Investigator. (B. Marcus, PI). 2003-2006.
Interactive Technologies to Increase Exercise Behavior.
NIH: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. 1 R01 HL69866-01A1 $1,678,030.

Consultant. (C. Cartter, PI). 2003-2004.
Integrated Web and Phone Smoking Cessation Counseling.
NIH SBIR award (1 R43 CA099211-01) to Quitnet.com, Boston, Massachusetts.

Consultant. (C. Cartter, PI). 2003-2004.
Web-based Smoking Cessation Medication Compliance System.
NIH SBIR award (1 R43 CA097903-01) to Quitnet.com, Boston, Massachusetts.

Principal Investigator. 2004-2008.
Tailored Exercise Support for Cardiac Patients.
NIH: NHLBI. 1 R01 HL075561-01 $1,456,135

Principal-Investigator (subcontract. A. Graham, PI). 2004-2008.
Internet and Telephone Treatment for Smoking Cessation.
NIH: NCI. 1 R01 CA104836-01A1 $2,253,106

Co-Investigator (B. Borrelli, PI). 2004-2006.
Motivating Latino Patients of Kids with Asthma to Quit Smoking.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. $249,999.

Co-Investigator (B. Marcus, PI). 2006-2010.
Stride-II. Exercise Instructions via Phone or Print.
NIH: NHLBI. 2 R01 HL064342-05 $1,802,580

Principal Investigator (subcontract. C. Cartter, PI). 2005-2007.
Web-based smoking cessation medication compliance system.
NIDA. 1 R44 DA097903. $93,908.

Principal Investigator (subcontract. R. Rende, PI). 2003-2008.
Sibling influence on smoking in everyday settings.
5R01 DA016795. $80,606

Consultant. (E. Boudreaux, PI). 2006.
The Dynamic and Assessment Referral System for Substance Abuse (DARSSA).
1 R41 DA021455-01 $145,852.

Co-Investigator (G. Tremont, PI). 2006-2009.
Yoga Intervention for Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment.
American Diabetes Association. $45,045.

Selected Publications

• Bock BC, Niaura RS, Carmona-Barros R & Neighbors CJ. (in press). Differences between Latino and Non-Latino White Smokers in Cognitive and Behavioral Characteristics Relevant to Smoking Cessation. Addictive Behaviors(IN PRESS)
• Sciamanna C, Marcus BH, Goldstein MG, Ahern DK Swartz S, Bock BC, Graham A & Lawrence K (2004). Feasibility of Primary care settings as a dissemination setting for tailored health behavior communications. Informatics in Primary Care, 12, 40-48.(2004)
• Bock BC, Graham AL, Sciamanna CN, Krishnamoorthy J, Whiteley J, Carmona-Barros R, Niaura RS & Abrams DB. (2004). Smoking Cessation Treatment on the Internet: Content, Quality and Usability. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 6(2), 207-219.(2004)
• Marcus, B. H., Lewis, B. A., King, T. K., Albrecht, A. E., Hogan, J., Bock, BC., Parisi, A. F., & Abrams, D. B. (2003). Rationale, design, and baseline data for Commit to Quit II: An evaluation of the efficacy of moderate-intensity physical activity as an aid to smoking cessation in women. Preventive Medicine, 36, 479-492.(2003)
• Bock BC, Becker BM, Partridge R, Niaura RS & Abrams DB. (2003). A Prospective Study of Coping Styles and Stress Symptoms After the September 11th, 2001 Terrorist Attacks. Medicine & Health, Rhode Island, 86, 340-341(2003)
• Bock BC, Carmona-Barros RE, Esler J & Tilkemeier, PL (2003). Program participation and physical activity maintenance after cardiac rehabilitation. Journal of Behavior Modification, 27, 37-53.(2003)
• Borrelli, B., Hogan, J., Bock, BC., Pinto, B., Roberts, M., & Marcus, B. (2002). Predictors of quitting and dropout among women in a clinic-based smoking cessation program. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 16(1) 22-27.(2002)
• Bock, BC. (2002). Issues in Predicting Adherence to Cardiac Rehabilitation. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, 22(4), 261-263(2002)
• Bock, BC., Becker, B., Partridge, R., Fisher, S., Monteiro, R. & Spencer, J. (2001) "Physician Intervention and Patient Attitudes among Smokers with Acute Respiratory Illness in the Emergency Department". Preventive Medicine, 32, 175-181.(2001)
• Bock, BC, Marcus, BH, Pinto, B & Forsyth, L. (2001). Maintenance of Physical Activity Following an Individualized Motivationally-Tailored Intervention. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 23, 79-87.(2001)
• Bock, BC., Niaura, R., Fontes, A., & Bock, F. (1999). Acceptability of computer assessments in minority and underserved smokers. American Journal of Health Promotion, 13, 299-304.(1999)