Mid-South Trandisciplinary Collaborative Center for Health Disparities Research

由阿拉巴马大学伯明翰分校提出的中南部健康差异研究跨学科合作中心（中南部TCC）旨在减少非洲裔美国人在三个中南部州（阿拉巴马州、路易斯安那州和密西西比州）经历的慢性疾病负担的差异，并将其扩展到另外三个中南部州（阿肯色州、田纳西州和肯塔基州），然后扩展到全国。目标的中南部地理区域包括全国最贫困的农村县和内城社区，这些地区的肥胖、慢性病负担特别高，这些疾病造成的死亡率也很高。我们的目标是解决社会决定因素相互作用，影响一个人的健康，并产生不同的少数民族人口的健康结果。具体来说，我们将关注肥胖和慢性疾病的途径，以及将这些途径与整个生命过程中的健康差异联系起来的机制。作为中南部TCC，我们的最终目标是调查导致和维持肥胖和慢性疾病在整个生命周期中的健康差异的所有社会、经济、文化和环境因素，并制定和实施干预措施来改善这种差异。这一目标将通过以下具体目标实现：目标1。开展为期一年的规划阶段，以：巩固和扩大现有的多部门中南部联盟，以便建立一个区域基础设施，支持拟议的研究、实施和传播活动；进行全面评估，以确定现有的相关研究、外联能力、政策和社会经济背景，以及目标地区和人口特有的障碍和需求；吸引更多的学术、社区和组织/机构合作伙伴和机构来填补已确定的空白；确定有待发展的研究领域，最后确定试点研究项目的程序；为项目实施制定详细的计划和时间表。目标2。制定和实施合作研究计划

The Mid-South Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center for Health Disparities Research (Mid-South TCC), proposed by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, seeks to reduce the disparities in chronic disease burden experienced by African Americans in three Mid-South states (Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi), expand to another three Mid-South states (Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky) and then nationally. The targeted Mid-South geographic area includes the most impoverished rural counties and inner-city communities in the nation, carrying exceptionally high burden of obesity, chronic diseases, and high mortality rates from these conditions. Our goal is to address the social determinants that interplay to impact a person's health and produce disparate health outcomes of minority populations. Specifically, we will focus on pathways to obesity and chronic illness and the mechanisms connecting these pathways to health disparities throughout the life-course. Our ultimate goal as a Mid-South TCC is to investigate all social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors driving and sustaining health disparities in obesity and chronic illnesses across the lifespan, and develop and implement interventions to ameliorate such disparities. This goal will be achieved through the following specific aims: Aim 1. Conduct a one-year planning phase to: Solidify and expand the existing multi-sector Mid-South coalition in order to establish a regional infrastructure that will support the proposed research, implementation, and dissemination activities; Conduct a comprehensive assessment to identify existing relevant research, outreach capacities, policies and socioeconomic contexts, as well as barriers and needs unique to the targeted areas and population; Engage additional academic, community, and organizational/institutional partners and agencies to fill identified gaps; Identify areas of research to be developed and finalize procedures for pilot research projects; Develop a detailed plan and timelines for the program implementation. Aim 2. Develop and implement a collaborative research program of regional research sub-projects; Establish 3 shared cores to support all Mid-South TCC research: Social Determinants of Health Measurement Core, Biostatistics/Study Design Core, and Academic-Community Engagement Core. Aim 4. Implement a pilot project program, including a career development component; Aim 5. Evaluate the research, implementation, and dissemination activities of the TCC.