Research Methods Core

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RESEARCH METHODS CORE: ABSTRACT Healthy People 2020 calls for research and policy to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health status, health behaviors, functional limitations, and healthcare use. Although progress has been made toward these goals, large disparities persist for American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. These groups have a high prevalence of risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and are at greater risk than other groups for under diagnosis of these disorders. Accordingly, the Natives Engaged in Alzheimer’s Research Center will conduct community-based Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias studies within American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations using methods and instruments that yield accurate, reliable data. The Research Methods Core’s primary function is to collaborate with individual Research Projects and Cores, sharing expertise to improve the scientific function of each component of the Center. To be successful, our Research Projects and Cores require innovative designs with measurable, achievable objectives; efficient resource allocation; appropriate implementation; regular, meaningful evaluations; and appropriate statistical analyses. Accordingly, the Research Methods Core’s goals are to make the most efficient use of study resources by standardizing methods for measurement and analysis to the extent possible; to optimize internal and external study validity; and to ensure the relevance of inferential analyses for healthcare providers, policymakers, community leaders, and other key stakeholders. The Research Methods Core’s Specific Aims are to: 1) Integrate with each RP team and other Cores to provide state-of-the- art methodological support for sample size and power calculations, study design, sampling, and implementation; and proactively identify opportunities for disseminating best practices between Research Project teams and Cores, as well as for cross-study collaboration; 2) Maximize the scientific validity of the Research Projects by a) ensuring reliability and validity of study measures; b) standardizing methods for measurement, data collection, and database design to the extent possible; and c) ensuring the reproducibility and transparency of Research Project results; and 3) Apply a flexible and comprehensive quantitative and qualitative data analytic strategy that leverages transdisciplinary Research Methods Core faculty expertise to implement the most reproducible analyses for each Research Project’s Specific Aims. The Core will maximize scientific rigor while accommodating the logistical and methodological challenges that arise in real-world research endeavors. It will leverage both the skills of methodologists with years of experience working on multi-project grants, as well as numerous existing partnerships. The collaboration between the Research Methods Core, Research Projects, and Cores will play a critical role in ensuring that our work contributes to understanding and ameliorating Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias disparities in American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.