USC Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS) for Vulnerable Populations

描述（由申请人提供）：南加州大学（USC）烟草监管科学中心（TCORS）致力于弱势人群烟草使用的跨领域主题，提出了方法开发和研究议程，这将有助于确保食品和药物管理局（FDA）的活动达到 不同的人群有可能对尼古丁上瘾，烟草使用的不良后果。拟议的USC TCORS直接响应RFA-DA-13-003，由经验丰富的多学科研究人员组成，他们已经与被认为易受烟草使用和尼古丁成瘾影响的人群合作开展烟草研究。TCORS的总体研究目标有三个：1）评估营销、社会影响、社交媒体和网络对烟草使用和产品选择的影响，重点关注弱势群体，最终目的是找到扭转或抵消这些影响的方法; 2）审查烟草产品在当地供应商中的分销和监管，其商店是购买的关键点，与行业营销和促销以及监管教育举措保持联系; 3）研究烟草使用的不同地形，将表型变量与个人、社会、文化和环境变量相结合，以确定未来的烟草控制举措如何针对不同的弱势群体进行定制。这些目标是通过三个研究项目实现的，这些项目具有重叠的要素：1）基于互联网的调查，从不同人群中抽取营销和社交媒体的影响; 2）对加州小型烟草零售商的研究，以及社区环境和当地监管活动对供应商行为和消费者行为的影响; 3）在一个已建立的基于人群的队列中研究烟草使用轨迹和使用地形。这项基于理论的研究承认烟草监管、控制和行业系统之间的动态相互作用，因为它们影响弱势群体的烟草使用。南加州大学TCORS将有五个核心：方法，人口，试点计划，培训和教育，以及行政。后者将负责研究、培训和核心业务的总体协调和整合。 活动;与其他TCORS的沟通，并传播调查结果。所有的研究和核心旨在促进烟草监管科学作为一门学科，支持研究和合作内部和跨其他TCORS，并推进新的研究问题和方法。预计南加州大学TCORS将提供证据，增强FDA通过烟草监管影响公众健康的能力。 相关性：南加州大学烟草监管科学中心（TCORS）专注于烟草产品使用和成瘾的高风险人群，以帮助FDA减少烟草使用及其疾病负担。针对FDA的优先事项，研究人员将研究社交媒体和小型零售商作为烟草行业接触弱势群体的方式，以及早期吸烟模式如何预测烟草产品的使用和成瘾。TCORS将为监管科学提供新的研究和培训方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Southern California (USC) Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS) addresses the cross-cutting theme of tobacco use among vulnerable populations, proposing an agenda of methods development and research that will help to assure that the activities of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reach to the diverse groups at risk for nicotine addiction and the adverse consequences of tobacco use. The proposed USC TCORS directly responds to RFA-DA-13-003 with a highly experienced multi- disciplinary team of investigators who already work together on tobacco research with populations considered vulnerable to tobacco use and nicotine addiction. There are three overall research aims of this TCORS: 1) evaluate marketing, social influence, social media, and network influences on tobacco use and product choice, emphasizing vulnerable populations, with the ultimate aim of identifying ways to reverse or counteract these influences; 2) examine tobacco product distribution and regulation among local vendors, whose stores are a key point for purchase, contact with industry marketing and promotion, and regulatory education initiatives; 3) examine different topographies of tobacco use, integrating phenotypic variables with personal, social, cultural and environmental variables to determine how future tobacco control initiatives may be tailored to different vulnerable groups. These aims are met through three Research Projects which have overlapping elements: 1) internet-based investigation of marketing and social media influences drawn from diverse populations; 2) a study of small tobacco retailers in California and the impact of community environment and local regulatory campaign efforts on both vendor practices and consumer behavior; 3) a study of tobacco use trajectories and use topography in an established population-based cohort. This theory- based research acknowledges the dynamic interplay between tobacco regulatory, control, and industry systems as they affect tobacco use in vulnerable populations. The USC TCORS will have five cores: Methods, Population, Pilot Programs, Training and Education, and Administrative. The latter will be responsible for overall coordination and integration of research, training, and core activities; communication with other TCORSs, and dissemination of findings. All of the research studies and cores are designed to promote tobacco regulatory science as a discipline, support research and collaboration within and across other TCORSs, and advance new research questions and methods. The USC TCORS is expected to provide evidence that will enhance the FDA's capacity to impact on public health through tobacco regulation. RELEVANCE: The USC Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS) focuses on populations that are at high-risk for use of tobacco products and addiction in order to help the FDA reduce tobacco use and its disease burden. Addressing FDA priorities, researchers will examine social media and small retailers as ways that the tobacco industry reaches vulnerable populations, and how early smoking patterns predict tobacco product use and addiction. The TCORS will generate new research and training methods for regulatory science.