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November 21, 2002

Group Health Center for Health Studies awarded $24 million for research in prevention

Researchers tackle vaccine safety, obesity & depression, colorectal cancer screening, breast cancer recurrence, and yoga for back pain

Seattle—Group Health Center for Health Studies (CHS) recently received more than $24 million in grants for the following research projects:

Vaccine Safety: A 10-year, $20 million federal grant will fund Group Health’s continuing participation the Vaccine Safety Datalink research program. Involving seven large health plans nationwide, the program combines data on immunizations and medical conditions to evaluate the risks and benefits of vaccines used in the United States.

Group Health’s previous work in the program has resulted in a number of significant findings, including a study last year that showed a link between certain vaccines (DPT and MMR) and the uncommon occurrence of fever-related seizures. Current research includes studies of the effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccine in seniors and possible effects of a preservative no longer used in vaccines.

The program is funded by the American Association of Health Plans through a contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CHS’s Lisa Jackson, MD, is the principal investigator for Group Health’s part of the study.

Colorectal cancer screening: CHS also received a four-year, $1 million grant from the National Cancer Institute for a study of the development, prevention, and treatment of colorectal cancer.

While there’s been a slow decline in the incidence of colorectal cancer over the past 15 years, it’s not clear whether that reduction is the result of screening—which can prevent cancer by removing pre-cancerous polyps—or the result of other factors like diet, obesity, and medications, which can also affect risk. Researchers in this study will use mathematical models to estimate the relative contributions of screening with polyp removal and use of hormone replacement therapy on colorectal cancer trends.

CHS’s Carolyn Rutter, PhD, is principal investigator of the study, which is funded through a collaboration that includes researchers at the National Cancer Institute, Harvard University’s School of Public Health, and the Sloan–Kettering Institute.

Obesity and depression: A five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases will fund two studies of obesity and depression at Group Health.

One will examine the link between obesity and depression, and determine how having these two conditions is related to disability and health care costs. The second will compare the effects of depression on women’s success in weight loss treatment and examine the benefits of treatment that combines weight-loss and depression interventions.

Group Health psychiatrist and CHS investigator Greg Simon, MD, is the principal investigator for these studies.

Breast cancer recurrence: The American Cancer Society has awarded CHS a three-year, $432,000 grant for two observational studies of factors associated with breast cancer recurrence and death from breast cancer. In one study, CHS investigator Diana Buist, PhD, will study the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the risk of recurrence and death. In a second study, Buist will focus on medical information about women with early-stage breast cancer, comparing the treatment they receive with current clinical guidelines. The study will identify characteristics of women who do not get care consistent with the guidelines. This, in turn, may help physicians target these types of women to ensure appropriate treatment in the future.

Yoga and back pain: A two-year $250,000 federal grant will fund a pilot study of the effectiveness of yoga as treatment for low back pain. CHS investigators Karen Sherman, PhD, and Dan Cherkin, PhD, will develop protocols for the yoga and exercise classes. Then they will conduct the pilot study, with 30 people randomly assigned to each of three groups: one using yoga, one using conventional exercise, and one getting usual care. The study is funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

About Group Health Center for Health Studies
Group Health Center for Health Studies conducts epidemiologic, health-services, and clinical research related to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of major health problems. Funded primarily through government and private research grants, the Center is located in Seattle, Washington.

Group Health Cooperative is the nation’s largest consumer-governed health care system, serving nearly 600,000 people in Washington and Idaho.

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