Research Proposals on Risk Disparities for Special Populations Invited by NIOSH, NIH

Contact: Fred Blosser (202) 260-8519
November 30, 1999

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) joined with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and five other partners in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to stimulate new research on risk disparities among special populations. The research will focus on identifying factors for disparities in health among different working populations and community populations in the U.S., particularly between more advantaged and less advantaged populations.

Poor and minority populations are likely to be at higher risk for poor health than other groups, including higher risk of occupational illnesses and injuries. However, reasons for these disparities are not well understood, and differences remain even when factors of lifestyle and access to health care are accounted for.

“Determining why these differences exist is a critical step in correcting the problem,” said NIOSH Director Linda Rosenstock, M.D., M.P.H. “We are pleased to join with our NIH partners to stimulate new research for better protecting the health and safety of all workers.”

Under a request for applications (RFA), NIOSH, NIEHS and the five other NIH partners are offering $5 million in competitive grant funding for new studies in this area for Fiscal Year 2000. Letters of intent to apply for grants are due by January 25, 2000, and applications are due by April 26, 2000.

The other NIH partners are the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). NIOSH is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Under the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), the area of special populations at risk is identified as one of the 21 priority areas for research that will do the most to protect workers from job-related injuries and illnesses in the coming decade. NORA was developed and implemented by NIOSH and a diverse partnership from industry, labor, government, public health, and academia, with input and review by more than 500 individuals and organizations.

The RFA is available on the World Wide Web at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-ES-00-004.html. Further information is available from Roy M. Fleming, Office of Extramural Programs, NIOSH, at (404) 639-3343, fax (404) 639-4616, and e-mail rmf2@cdc.gov.

For additional information about NORA and NIOSH research, call the toll-free NIOSH information number, 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674) .