Contact:
Helen Meissner, Sc.M.
Program Director
Cancer Control Research Branch Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences
Phone: (301) 435-2836
E-mail: hm36d@nih.gov

Objective of Project:
The primary objective is to gain a greater understanding of the basic biobehavioral mechanisms involved in the complex interplay of genetic, neurobiological, and environmental factors in the initiation and maintenance of smoking, dietary practices, and exercise habits. Such knowledge would be valuable for the development of novel pharmacologic cancer control interventions and the targeting of such approaches to individuals most likely to benefit-and conversely, the development and targeting of behavioral interventions to persons for whom these behaviors have a less significant biological basis.

Description of Project:
Individual studies carried out under this project will focus on the links between biology, behavior, and environment as they pertain to cancer-related risk behaviors. The work must be novel, hypothesis driven, and use preintervention research designs in human populations. Opportunities for such research are numerous and include, but are not limited to:

• psychophysiological responses to smoking or eating (e.g., sensitivity metabolism) and relationship to cancer-related health behaviors;

• genetic determinants of individual differences in the reinforcing effects of smoking, feeding-related behaviors, and/or physical activity;

• genetic, neurobiological and metabolic correlates of feeding-related behaviors, obesity, and/or smoking;

• use of Ecological Momentary "real-time" Analysis in examination of the relationship between basic biobehavioral factors and cancer-related health behaviors;

• genetic and psychophysiological processes, linking psychiatric co-morbidity (e.g., depression) and personality with cancer.