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New NIH Primary and Secondary Prevention Research During 2012-2019
David M Murray1, Luis F Ganoza1, Ashley J Vargas1
1Office of Disease Prevention, Division of Program Coordination Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Director, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
|March 22, 2021
Summary
NIH-funded prevention research saw a slight increase in awards by 2019. However, few projects addressed major risk factors, especially in minority populations, highlighting a need for more intervention research.
Area of Science:
- Public Health and Preventive Medicine
- Health Services Research
- Biomedical Research Funding Analysis
Background:
- Characterization of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded primary and secondary prevention research is crucial for understanding research priorities.
- A comprehensive taxonomy of prevention research was updated and applied to analyze NIH-funded projects from 2012-2019.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the landscape of human prevention research and related methods funded by the NIH between 2012 and 2019.
- To identify trends in prevention research focus, study design, and the proportion of awards dedicated to prevention over time.
Main Methods:
- Manual coding of 14,523 new extramural NIH projects awarded between 2012 and 2019 using an updated prevention research taxonomy.
- Data extraction included project rationale, exposures, outcomes, population focus, study design, and type of prevention research.
- Analysis focused on changes in award proportions and the representation of leading risk factors and intervention types.
Main Results:
- The proportion of NIH awards classified as prevention research increased from 16.7% to 20.7% by 2019.
- Leading risk factors (diet, tobacco, obesity, blood pressure) were addressed in less than 5% of prevention projects in 2019.
- There was a shift towards analysis of existing data (46.5%) and a decrease in randomized interventions (12.3%), particularly for high-risk populations.
Conclusions:
- While NIH prevention research funding increased, a significant gap remains in addressing major risk factors, especially within minority and health disparities populations.
- The study highlights a continued reliance on observational studies and secondary data analysis, with a decline in randomized intervention research.
- Further research is needed to develop and disseminate effective interventions targeting leading risk factors, with a focus on underserved communities.
