The aims of the proposed National Alcohol Research Center are to: a) conduct priority research in alcohol epidemiology, gathering information over time about the prevalence, incidence, etiology, and mediators of heavy drinking and alcohol problems in the general population and for special subgroups (e.g., women and ethnic minorities);b) conduct innovative research on ways communities are impacted by and respond to problems-^formal interventions like health care and AA, informal influences like family and friends, and regulations;c) gather and analyze research data in ways that advance methods and test competing hypotheses;d) disseminate this information and translate findings needed by target audiences like policy makers, providers, public health/prevention specialists, and the public;and e) promote a richly interactive scientific and skill-enhancing setting with unique opportunities for multidisciplinary research training and career development, including strategic partnerships with other organizations. Addressing these aims are an Administrative Core (Component 1) providing research-supportive infrastructure;a Statistical and Data Services Core (2);a National Alcohol Survey (NAS) Resources Core managing 5-yearly NAS datasets and collecting a new 2014/15 US adult survey (3), and 4 closely linked research components. Center research addresses significant hypotheses in the epidemiology of drinking patterns and problems in general and special populations, in (4), we continue analysis of the 12""""""""^ and earlier NASs, later adding the new survey;(5) examines race/ethnicity, socioeconomic disadvantage and disparities in alcohol problems;(6) studies risky drinking in problem or dependent drinkers over 7 years;lastly, (7) continues methodological studies, by proposing 3 new substudies to improve measurement of intake, problems and their relationship. Augmenting these are components (8), a new Dissemination/Education project including an evaluation of translation efforts and (9) Pilot Studies. The proposed Center will yield significant contributions to epidemiological alcohol research, deepen understanding of etiology of problems and incubate new methods. We plan to build research capacity in the Center and other organizations, enhance careers of new investigators, and make key findings accessible to researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and the public.
Overall Center Project Narrative. For 3 decades the Center on the Epidemiology of Alcohol Problems has contributed new findings on drinking patterns and associated problems, and innovative ways of measuring these with increasing precision in human populations. Many discoveries and instruments have helped shape and will continue to advance public health research knowledge, research and practice. The Center's leaders and its energetic newer investigators leverage center work with an array of independent grants on topics of high public health priority.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 257 publications
