The mission of our proposed UlC Midwest Roybal Center for Health Promotion and Translation is to accelerate the translation of basic behavioral and social science research theories and methodologies into practical outcomes to improve the functioning and quality of life of older adults. This Roybal Center renewal application builds on our three previously-funded Roybal Centers through a joint emphasis on individual- and community-level factors that influence initiation and maintenance of behavior change. Our Center will fund theoretically-driven pilot studies that will examine factors that facilitate healt behavior change at the individual level as well as studies that involve translating evidence-based health behavior change interventions at the organizational and societal level. Our proposed renewal Center retains its focus on translating interventions to older minority adults, but expands the focus of health behavior interventions to include cognitive health. This renewal application targets three thematic areas of focus: mechanisms of behavior change, novel interventions that exploit the plasticity of biobehavioral risk mechanisms, and programs that target features of social networks and social engagement to increase well-being. Our work will continue to be guided by the RE-AIM framework for evaluating health promotion interventions to identify those that have the greatest potential for broad based dissemination and public health impact. The Center Research Faculty will include Drs. Hughes, Heller, Ferrans, Ruggiero, Marks, Marquez, Smith- Ray and all of the Principal Investigators of funded pilot projects. The Pilot Pis will be responsible for completing all activities proposed under their projects, under th oversight of the Management Core. The Pilot Core will provide grant funding for a minimum of two pilots per year, solicited from faculty and student researchers at UlC, other University of Illinois campuses, and other Universities as appropriate. The renewal Center Executive Committee is comprised of Senior Leaders from multiple departments on the UlC campus, all of which are critical to fulfilling the mission of the Center. The Executive Committee will guide the direction of the Center and oversee the pilot projects. The overall performance of the proposed Center will be guided by a distinguished Advisory Committee that includes representatives from diverse academic, provider, funder, consumer, and media stakeholder groups. Finally, this renewal application incorporates for the first time a Workgroup for Digital Excellence which is charged with facilitating dissemination efforts and ensuring that each of the pilots utilizes emerging technology to the fullest extent possible.
Our continued focus on health promotion is justified by the fact that 70% of the physical decline that occurs with aging is related to modifiable risk factors. Although we witnessed substantial declines in disability in successive elderly cohorts between 1982 and 1999, recent longitudinal analyses have questioned whether these gains can be expected to continue in view of lifestyle risk factors that affect younger cohorts of older adults. The plateauing of these gains renders the case for investing in health promotion even more powerful.
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