The research core for the proposed Program for Rural and Minority Health Disparities Research (the Program) focuses on identifying pathways through which individual, family, environmental and social factors affect the risk of obesity or response to diabetes interventions and the development of programs and policies to modify these pathways. Improving population health and reducing health disparities requires understanding why and how health disparities are created and sustained, and the development and evaluation of innovative intervention programs that are feasible, translatable across subpopulations and settings, and can be disseminated to potential users. Building upon statewide priorities as well as a community priority setting process conducted in the Brazos Valley in 2002 and 2006 that identified obesity and diabetes as critical health problems, the Program for Rural and Minority Health Disparities Research includes three core research projects that will: i) provide critical information on how population and setting characteristics' interact to influence food choice, healthful eating, and the risk of obesity in limited-resource, minority families in rural areas; 2) allow the development of interventions to reduce the risk of obesity, particularly among rural, minority, and underserved individuals; and 3) test the differential effectiveness of diabetes self-management models by minority status and geographic residence. In addition to the core research projects, research core activities include the solicitation, review and funding of disparities related pilot projects, strengthening of the Community Health Research Group, development of a Texas A&M University System-wide health disparities research network, and the promotion of research translation, dissemination, and sustainability. Each of these projects and activities are described below.
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