Projects

Click here for the HPRC Project Matrix
A Brief Summary of HPRC Projects

Older Adult Health Promotion

PALS & SE-SPAN are HPRC’s core projects for this 5-year funding cycle.

• PALS (Physical Activity for a Lifetime of Success) HPRC is working with providers at community clinics in Southeast Seattle to refer their older diabetic patients to a structured volunteer-run telephone support program at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. This individual intervention will test the added value of combining encouragement from primary care providers with referral to a community-based program to help sedentary older adults become more physically active. Click here for a video featuring PALS participants and volunteers
  (PI: Elizabeth Phelan, MD MPH)
• SE-SPAN  (South East Senior Physical Activity Network) A community-level intervention to complement PALS, intended to increase access to physical activity programs and enhance the infrastructure to support physical activity programs in Southeast Seattle.
  (PI: Allen Cheadle, PhD)
• Literature Review of Older Adult Emotional & Cognitive Health reviews interventions to improve older adult emotional and cognitive health. (PI: Mark Snowden, MD, MPH)
• PEARLS Dissemination Study tests an implementation management team approach to disseminating this intervention for older adults with minor depression. (PI: Mark Snowden, MD, MPH)
• PRC-Healthy Aging Research Network  HPRC is lead center for this collaborative effort of nine member PRCs and the CDC’s Aging Studies Branch. The network has developed a research and dissemination agenda for the public health aspects of healthy aging, launching national demonstration projects and specialty work-groups.
  (PI: Basia Belza, PhD, RN)
• PRC-Healthy Aging Research Network Conference Grant implements three annual conferences focusing on aspects of healthy aging, including physical activity, depression and cognitive health. (PI: Basia Belza, RN, PhD)
• Rapid Assessment Physical Activity Tool (RAPA) is a brief instrument to assess physical activity in older adults. It is designed to be easily incorporated into clinical practice. (PI: Jim LoGerfo, MD, MPH)

Cancer Prevention and Control

• American Cancer Society's Cancer Resource Center Navigation Program assists with the development and evaluation of this program in 12 western states, which provides hospital-based social services to patients from under-served populations. (PI: Laura-Mae Baldwin, MD, MPH)   Reports
• Colorectal Cancer Screening studies patient/provider colorectal cancer screening discussions and decision-making.
  (PI: Laura-Mae Baldwin, MD, MPH)
• Community-based Cancer Screening Projects Evaluation assesses DOH-funded activities that increase colorectal cancer screening and informed decision-making regarding prostate cancer screening. (PI: Peggy Hannon, PhD)
• Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Acceptibility is gathering information on Latino parents’ willingness to accept the HPV vaccine. (PI: Gloria Coronado, PhD)
• Obesity Prevention Among Samoans is determining the relationships among diet, physical activity and obesity from a Samoan perspective.
  (PI: Shin-Ping Tu, MD, MPH)
• Ovarian Cancer Screening, Testing, and Management  (PI: Laura-Mae Baldwin, MD, MPH)
• Prostate Cancer Screening Education is interviewing physicians regarding prostate cancer screening, with the goal of improving communication between physicians and their patients. (PI: Kelly Fryer-Edwards, PhD)
• Quality of Life for Men with Localized Prostate Cancer is a study of patients’ decision-making processes related to quality of life and satisfaction with care. (PI: Scott Ramsey, MD, MPH)
• Cardiovascular Disease Curriculum Modules for American Indian and Alaska Native Youth will develop, test and evaluate a culturally appropriate grade 7-12 supplemental health education curriculum focusing on cardio-vascular health. (PI: Dedra Buchwald, MD)
• Health Marketing Research Center, a CDC-funded Center of Excellence, focuses on chronic disease prevention. Two large, regional research projects address detection and treatment of hypertension through the public emergency medical response system, and employer-based chronic disease prevention efforts. (PI: Jeffrey Harris, MD, MPH, MBA)
• Comprehensive Cancer Control Partnership assists the WA State Department of Health to measure and increase colorectal cancer screening and informed decision-making around prostate cancer screening. (PI: Jeffrey Harris, MD, MPH, MBA)
• Determinants of Patient Dropout from Cancer Treatment will evaluate cancer treatment completion rates for Medicaid enrollees.
  (PI: Scott Ramsey MD, MPH)

Workplace Health Promotion

• Marketing Workplace Chronic Disease Prevention is a randomized controlled trial testing an intervention to increase adoption of evidence-based chronic disease prevention practices by low-wage, mid-sized employers in King County. (PI: Jeffrey Harris, MD, MPH, MBA)
• Purchasers Guide to Clinical Preventive Services Implementation Evaluation is a randomized controlled trial to assess the strengths and weakness of the Guide, and evaluate specific dissemination strategies. (PI: Diane Martin, PhD)
• Washington Wellness is an evaluation of the Washington state employee wellness program. (PI: Allen Cheadle, PhD)
• Workplace Solutions Project is a collaboration with the American Cancer Society to understand how best to work with employers to help them adopt evidence-based practices that improve employee health behaviors. (PI: Jeffrey Harris, MD, MPH, MBA)

Other Research Projects

• Cardiovascular Disease Curriculum Modules for American Indian and Alaska Native Youth develops, tests and evaluates a culturally appropriate cardio-vascular health education curriculum for grades 7-12.
  (PI: Dedra Buchwald, MD)
• Educational Technology to Promote Oral Health addresses oral health disparities through developing and testing informational CD-ROMs. (PI: Asuman Kiyak, PhD)
• Health Marketing Research Center (HMRC) tests and disseminates strategies for health marketing and communication of interventions that promote healthy aging and reduce chronic disease. Two randomized controlled trials are currently underway. (PI: Jeffrey Harris, MD, MPH, MBA)
• Marketing and Tailoring Hypertension Control via 911 Responders utilizes 911 responder data to select study participants at risk for hypertension, followed by direct mail intervention. (PI: Jeffrey Harris, MD, MPH, MBA)
• PEARL is a randomized controlled trial testing the PEARLS depression intervention for adults with epilepsy. (PI: Paul Ciechanowski, MD, MPH)
• Physical Activity Among Residents of Subsidized Housing is a natural experiment, as former and new residents move into a mixed-income public/private housing site designed to facilitate physical activity.
  (PI: Jim Krieger, MD, MPH)
• Post-stroke Rehabilitation Referral & Enrollment Rates examines health disparities in referral & enrollment in out-patient stroke rehabilitation. (PI: Jeanne Hoffman, PhD)
• Translating Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools is analyzing and disseminating effective development and implementation strategies for school nutrition policies.
  (PI: Donna Johnson, PhD, MS)

Dissemination

• EnhanceWellness is a participant-centered health promotion program that uses motivational interviewing & health behavior change models.
• EnhanceFitness is a low-cost, evidence-based exercise class for older adults of all fitness levels. It was named “one of ten exemplary physical activity programs for older adults in the U.S.” by the National Council on Aging.
• PEARLS is a community-based intervention for physically impaired, socially isolated older adults with minor depression. (PEARLS Toolkit) (PEARLS article in JAMA) (Seattle Aging and Disability Services) (Article featuring PEARLS on the PRC website)
• Walkability Audit  - Two Instruments to Score Environments for Neighborhood Walkability

PRC National Research Networks

• Alliance for Reducing Cancer, Northwest (ARC NW)  collaborates with local community partners to build infrastructure, with the goal of setting the groundwork for future research opportunities. HPRC is one of eight sites of the national PRC Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network.
  (PI: Vicky Taylor, MD, MPH)
• PRC-Healthy Aging Research Network  HPRC is the lead center for this collaborative effort of nine member PRCs and the CDC's Aging Studies Branch. The network has developed a research and dissemination agenda for the public health aspects of healthy aging and launched national demonstration projects and specialty workgroups.
  (PI: Basia Belza, PhD, RN)
• Cardiovascular Health Intervention Research and Translation Network aims to develop and implement a cordinated, applied research and translation agenda that will be incorporated into state programs.
  (PI: Annette Fitzpatrick, PhD)
• Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) is gathering information from adults with epilepsy and their treating professionals about their impressions of self-management programs. This is a partnership between UW Depts. of Rehabilitation Medicine and Neurology, the Epilepsy Foundation and Swedish Hospital Neurosciences. (PI: Bob Fraser, MD, PhD)
• Physical Activity Policy Research Network is working to evaluate the effectiveness of policies aimed at increasing physical activity among all age groups. (PI: Mark Doescher, MD, MPH)

Regional Coalitions

• Comprehensive Cancer Control Partnership
  A diverse group of organizations and individuals representing many key stakeholders in cancer prevention and control in Washington.
• Healthy Aging Partnership (HAP)
  A coalition of organizations and professionals in the Puget Sound region. Their mission is to promote healthy aging through community partnerships.
• Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Steering Council (DOH)
• King County Physical Activity Coalition (KCPAC)
  A statewide coalition working in partnership to promote regular physical activity to enhance health, fitness and quality of life.
• National Advisory Group on Public Health Practice-based Research networks is developing a program to assess and improve the quality of workplace wellness programs.
• Partnership for Prevention Workplace Guides is translating the CDC's Community Guide recommendations into cancer prevention tools for small employers
• Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease Risk Factors in Primary Care is part of 2008 WA Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan.
• Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Healthy (REACH)
  The coalition's mission is to reduce diabetes health disparities.
• Rainier Valley Health Coalition is a group of agencies and individuals that have come together in the Rainier Valley area of Seattle, Washington, to promote physical activity and nutrition.
• Seattle Partners for Healthy Communities
  Seattle Partners for Healthy Communities (Seattle Partners) was established in 1995 as a CDC-funded Urban Research Center.
  (PI:  James Krieger, MD, MPH)
• Steps to a Healthier US - Seattle & King County
  A federally-funded program lead by community partners and Public Health - Seattle & King County, focusing on the areas of asthma, diabetes, obesity, nutrition, physical activity and tobacco.
• Washington Alliance for Healthy Aging (WAHA)
  Promoting healthy aging statewide through advocacy and sharing resources, research and best practice strategies.
  WAHA 2008 Summit Lifting the Clouds: Addressing Depression in Older Adults
• Washington Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (WCPPA)
  The coalition's mission is to promote environments that offer active living options - a way of life that integrates physical activity into daily routines.