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June 7, 2004

Group Health Center for Health Studies awarded grants totaling more than $13 million

Researchers explore aging, contraceptives, back pain, depression, chronic diseases, quitting smoking, and HRT

Seattle—Group Health Center for Health Studies has received word of several large grants in recent months, including awards to study aging, oral contraceptives, back pain, depression, chronic diseases, smoking cessation, and making decisions about hormone replacement therapy. Grants for the following research projects total more than $13 million:

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): How are women deciding?—While scientific understanding of the risks and benefits of HRT has changed significantly since the Women’s Health Initiative started releasing its findings about HRT in 2002, little is known about women’s and doctors’ reactions to the news. This study, funded for three years by a $1.5 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, will use interviews, focus groups, and surveys to explore a range of issues related to women’s decisions to keep using or discontinue this common treatment for symptoms of menopause. Study participants will include women from Group Health Cooperative in Seattle and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in Massachusetts. The principal investigator is Group Health's Katherine Newton, PhD.

Do oral contraceptives affect young women’s bones?—This project, funded by a five-year, $3.1 million grant from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, will explore what happens to young women’s bone density and biomarkers when they use oral contraceptives (birth control pills). There have been few studies of bone change in adolescents using oral contraceptives, and this is the first prospective study to document changes in bone density after women go off this form of birth control. The study will follow 600 women, age 14 to 30, for two to three years, using periodic laboratory tests and bone-mineral density scans. The principal investigator is Group Health’s Delia Scholes, PhD.

Alzheimer’s disease and common drugs: What are the links?—A five-year, $5.7 million grant from the National Institute on Aging is continuing a broad-range research project on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and the changes in thinking that happen with aging. The ultimate goal is to develop and test strategies to delay or lower the risk of AD. For now, the project is analyzing links between AD and dementia and many common drugs, including ones for high blood pressure, hormone replacement, and high cholesterol levels. The project also evaluates other potential risk factors for AD, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, lack of exercise, obesity, diabetes, and tobacco use. This project maintains both the Group Health/University of Washington AD Patient Registry and the Adult Changes in Thought (ACT) Study, which provide other investigators with long-term, comprehensive data and well-characterized research subjects. This project’s principal investigator is Group Health’s Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH.

How does disability affect people living with chronic illness and mental disorders?—More and more people live are living with both a chronic physical disease and a treatable mental disorder. Both are leading causes of disability at work and in family life. Treating depression and other mental disorders can help people to lead more productive, independent, and enjoyable lives—despite their chronic physical diseases. With a four-year, $2.2 million National Institute of Mental Health grant, Group Health and Harvard Medical School researchers will explore how disability affects people who have both a major chronic physical condition and a mental disorder that can respond to treatment. The physical conditions to be studied include respiratory disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, and chronic pain. The mental disorders include those of mood, anxiety, impulse control, and substance use. This study will analyze data from nearly 200,000 people included in 28 coordinated national population surveys that are participating in the World Health Organization World Mental Health initiative. The principal investigator is Group Health’s Michael Von Korff, ScD.

What motivates smokers to quit?—With a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, researchers at CHS will explore how best to motivate cigarette smokers to quit. They will compare two interventions: One gives only generic information about the risks of smoking; the other provides smokers with individualized biomarker feedback—information about their carbon monoxide exposure, lung function, and other smoking-related symptoms. The study’s main aim is to see whether learning about their own biomarkers makes smokers more motivated to quit and more likely to use treatment and to quit smoking. The principal investigator is Group Health’s Jennifer B. McClure, PhD.

What are the long-term costs and outcomes of breast cancer screening?—A three-year, $787,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute will fund an investigation of the long-term costs and effectiveness of various efforts to promote participation in breast cancer screening programs, mainly mammography. Based on their findings, the investigators plan to develop a strategy for targeted promotion of mammography based on women’s perceived risk of breast cancer, barriers to mammography use, and personal history of preventive health care. The principal investigator is Group Health’s Paul Fishman, PhD.

What can be done for depression and back pain?—A three-year, $711,000 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health will help Group Health researchers discover how to help people with back pain and depression improve their quality of life. The integrated, biopsychosocial intervention incorporates proven treatments for major depression (problem-solving therapy, antidepressants, or both) with those for chronic back pain (brief cognitive-behavioral therapy). The principal investigator is Group Health’s Michael Von Korff, ScD.

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 more than 540,000 people in Washington and Idaho.

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