Interventions for Preventing and Managing Chronic Illness

Univ Of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill NC

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The purpose of this training grant is to prepare nurse scientists with the substantive and methodological capacity to apply community-engaged intervention mapping (IM; integrating community-engaged research approaches/CEnR with IM) as they design, test and implement multilevel theory-based interventions to effectively prevent and manage chronic illness. The T32 has matured over the last 25 years of funding; the focus has expanded to address emergent scientific priorities in research on theory-based interventions for preventing and managing chronic illness, and to reflect the strengths of our faculty research. In this application, we continue to address the scientific priorities of designing and testing multilevel interventions to prevent and mange chronic illness and speeding translation from research into clinical practice. We will enhance the ongoing T32 by providing training in using community-engaged IM to design multilevel, theory-based interventions and effectively engage stakeholders throughout the research process. We posit that using community-engaged IM to design, test, and implement theory-based multilevel interventions will speed translation into clinical practice. Our continued focus on theory-based interventions to improve prevention and management of chronic illness will be enhanced by a new focus on multilevel interventions that use behavior change and environment focused theories, and training in using IM and CEnR approaches to effectively engage patients, family caregivers, clinicians, communities, and other types of other stakeholders in the research. For predoctoral trainees, enhancements to the PhD program will include: (a) required courses structured to address IM core processes, traditional and contemporary CEnR approaches, and 6-iterative steps; (b) mentored research experiences; and (c) participation in integrative and scientific seminar series focused on developing competencies needed to build productive programs of research that involve designing, testing and implementing multilevel theory-based interventions. For postdoctoral trainees, the training program will include: (a) required courses, (b) independent research experiences, and (c) active involvement in seminar series. Six pre-doctoral trainees and three post-doctoral trainees will be supported each year over the 5 years of the training program. The emphases will capitalize on our faculty strengths, strong research infrastructure, and well-established research partnerships on The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus and throughout the state of North Carolina.