NIMHD Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers for Health Disparities Research on Chronic Disease Prevention (U54)

Additional Information:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-MD-15-014.html

Description:

Although scientific and technological advances have improved the health of the U.S. population overall, racial/ethnic minority populations, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations and rural populations continue to experience a disproportionate share of many chronic diseases and adverse health conditions. As the Nation’s steward of biomedical and behavioral research, NIH has devoted considerable resources to characterize the root causes of health disparities, uncovering complex webs of interconnected factors (e.g., biological, behavioral, social and environmental factors) acting at multiple levels across the life course. As an important next step, research is needed that capitalizes on this knowledge to develop interventions that reduce and eventually eliminate health disparities.

Tackling the complex drivers of health disparities requires a transdisciplinary framework that cuts across scientific and organizational silos to integrate multiple disciplines– biology, behavioral and social sciences, epidemiology, data science, public health, health care delivery, economics, environmental science, public policy, etc. It also requires strong collaborations between researchers, community organizations, health service providers, public health agencies, policymakers and other stakeholders to ensure that relevant, contextually appropriate research is conducted and, more importantly, that findings can be translated into sustainable community and system-level changes that promote health equity. 

To pursue these objectives, NIMHD Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers (TCCs) for health disparities research comprise regional coalitions of research institutions and consortium partners focused on priority research areas in minority health and health disparities. The TCC program's overarching goal is to develop and disseminate effective interventions that can be implemented in real-world settings.

Chronic diseases and conditions are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems. Seven of the top 10 causes of death in 2010 were chronic diseases. By investing in prevention and early diagnosis and treatment of the most common chronic diseases, the U.S. could decrease treatment costs by $218 billion per year and reduce the economic impact of disease by $1.1 trillion annually. Reducing disparities in chronic diseases should start with health disparity populations at high risk for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, chronic pulmonary disease, arthritis etc. For example, many health risks are associated with obesity. However, the prevalence of obesity among non-Hispanic black and Hispanic adults is significantly higher than among non-Hispanic white adults. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Yet, more adults who live below the poverty level are current cigarette smokers compared to those who live at or above the poverty level. Also, hypertension, a precursor to cardiovascular disease, is more prevalent and not as well controlled in non-Hispanic blacks, versus non-Hispanic whites. Non-Hispanic blacks have a much higher prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure when compared with non-Hispanic whites. Women from poor, low-income, and middle-income households are less likely to receive a mammogram compared with women from high-income households.