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National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Chronic Disease Prevention Home | Contact Us |
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Prevention research is the counterpart of biomedical or laboratory research. While biomedical research focuses on the best ways of diagnosing and treating disease, prevention research focuses on ways to keep people free from disease. Many chronic diseases—such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes—as well as injuries, poor pregnancy outcomes, and some infectious diseases are caused by behavioral and environmental factors that can be changed.
Prevention researchers look for strategies that help people alter the risk factors in their lives and in their communities. For example, researchers look for ways to prevent elderly people from falling or young people from engaging in risky behavior.
With FY2002 funding of $23 million, the Prevention Research Centers program is a national network of 28 academic research centers that engage communities as participants in research on preventing chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and arthritis.
The centers balance scientific rigor, community acceptance, and practical application to find ways of preventing disease and improving quality of life. The centers work in areas as geographically distinct as Harlem, the Southwest, and Appalachia, and with diverse groups such as women, adolescents, and the elderly.
In FY2002, two new research centers, the State University of New York at Albany and the University of Iowa, were added to the network.
The State University of New York at Albany will focus on people with diabetes in the greater Capital District of New York. The University of Iowa will address poor nutrition and lack of physical activity among rural residents.
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Cost of Chronic DiseasesThe medical care costs for people with chronic diseases account for more than 70% of the nation’s total medical care costs. CDC Goals
Effectiveness of Prevention ProgramsBelow are some examples that show the cost benefits of prevention programs:
Example of CDC ActivitiesIn collaboration with the Association of Schools of Public Health, the Prevention Research Centers program established a 2-year fellowship for doctoral-level students of ethnic or racial minority origin. The first four fellows are now gaining hands-on experience with projects directed by the centers and their community partners. This fellowship program expands the number of future public health professionals qualified to work with ethnic or racial minority groups. Example of State ActivitiesWashington: Researchers at the University of Washington Prevention Research Center study how to encourage older adults to stay healthy and independent. Researchers have disseminated their findings statewide. Research results show that
These findings led to physical activity being offered in 33 senior centers and senior residences in the Puget Sound region and replication in 5 states.
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Privacy
Policy | Accessibility This page last reviewed August 10, 2004 United
States Department of Health and Human Services |
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