How do we enhance research in disease prevention and health promotion?

Challenge

Within the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’S) Office of the Director, the Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) is the lead office responsible for assessing, facilitating, and stimulating research in disease prevention and health promotion, and disseminating the results of this research to improve public health.

Prevention is preferable to treatment, and research on disease prevention is an important part of NIH’s mission. ODP fulfills its mission by providing leadership for the development, coordination, and implementation of prevention research in collaboration with NIH Institutes and Centers. ODP’s work is guided by its strategic plan, which includes priorities aimed at assessing the NIH prevention research portfolio, identifying research gaps, improving research methods, promoting collaboration, disseminating efforts and findings, and addressing health disparities.

Westat supports ODP’s mission across its strategic priorities with our experienced, multidisciplinary staff and in-depth knowledge of ODP data ecosystems. Our technical approaches are tailored to each task and strategic priority, including software development and scientific analysis projects and communications support services.​ The knowledge gained from this research leads to stronger clinical practice, health policy, and community health programs.

Solutions  

Westat provides project management, communications, IT, and meeting planning support to ODP. The support services provided under this contract are organized by ODP’s strategic priorities and include the following topics.

Conducting portfolio analysis and impact assessment

Westat supports ODP’s assessment of the NIH prevention research portfolio through the classification of disease prevention grants using a prevention research taxonomy, along with a detailed protocol for coding grant abstracts. Westat has trained a team of taxonomy coders using ODP instructions, definitions, and examples to facilitate the accurate, standardized classification of awards. We developed, maintain, and enhance the Prevention Abstract Classification Tool (PACT), a customized software application designed to record and assign abstracts for coding, provide quick access to the taxonomy coding protocol, and capture individual and consensus coding. PACT is also integrated with SAS to calculate interrater reliability.

Identifying research gaps

Westat implements the annual Insufficient Evidence (I Statement) Reporting Survey, a web-based survey tool that is deployed annually to gather information from NIH Institutes and Centers (ICs) on gaps in NIH research portfolios. Westat maintains and administers the survey, conducting analyses, and generating reports; conducted qualitative evaluation to glean a better understanding of how ICs view and use the survey and the survey reports; and worked closely with ODP to redesign the survey and develop a new survey application. Westat also manages Pathways to Prevention (P2P) meetings and workshops. P2P meetings focus on specific topics (e.g., fracture prevention) and typically have several hundred attendees. Westat staff coordinate in-person, virtual, and hybrid meeting logistics. We have also developed the comprehensive P2P evaluation plan, which includes conducting the process and outcomes evaluations and assessing the previous and planned P2P meetings.

Improving research methods

Westat redesigned and maintains ODP’s Research Methods Resources website and has developed multiple sample size calculators to help investigators calculate appropriate study sample size. Westat previously supported the Prevention Research Expert Survey (PRES) and the PRES directory used by ODP to gather data on the methods and content area expertise of subject matter experts. ODP discontinued PRES in 2023, and Westat supported retiring the survey and archiving data.

Promoting collaborative research

ODP aims to promote collaborative prevention research projects and facilitate coordination of such projects across NIH and with other public and private entities. Westat is supporting this strategic priority by conducting portfolio analyses and literature reviews.

Advancing Tobacco Regulatory Science and Prevention (TRSP) Program

Westat developed and maintains a custom grants management system (GMS) to track all tobacco-related grant research across NIH ICs. The GMS organizes, catalogs, and manages a portfolio of NIH grants throughout each grant’s lifecycle and provides a database, along with a user-friendly interface.

Communicating efforts and findings

Westat provides a broad range of communications services to ODP, including designing and producing a variety of ready-to-print and web products and providing editorial and 508 compliance services across all ODP products. Westat maintains the ODP website, works with ODP to develop and post content and update images, and collects website analytics.

Results

Westat’s work supports ODP in fulfilling its mission, which will ultimately strengthen NIH’s work and build capacity for prevention research more broadly. By bringing greater attention to disease prevention, ODP’s work has the potential to impact the health and well-being of all Americans.