Funding Opportunity Description

Research Objectives

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) invites applications to support secondary analysis of existing data sets with the goal of enhancing our understanding of patterns of alcohol consumption and the epidemiology of alcohol-related problems.

Research grants for the Secondary Analysis of Existing Alcohol Epidemiology Data Sets are intended to provide support for studies that more fully utilize currently available data sets to increase our understanding of the incidence, prevalence and etiology of alcohol related problems and disorders in the population, as well as the risk and protective factors associated with them. Data used in secondary analyses may be obtained from current or past investigator-initiated research activities or from other public or private sources. Research that employs analytic techniques which demonstrate or promote methodological advances in alcohol-related epidemiologic research is also of interest.

Specific objectives of this announcement on the Secondary Analysis of Existing Alcohol Epidemiology Data Sets are to provide support for (a) analyzing previously collected data that would advance -- in cost effective ways -- scientific knowledge of alcohol-related epidemiology, or (b) applying new approaches to analyze current data sets that would benefit from further exploration.  Grants under this announcement are not intended as a means for carrying out currently ongoing data analysis nor for the maintenance and distribution of data sets.

Research objectives of this program announcement include, but are not limited to:  (1) studying patterns of alcohol consumption and the distribution of alcohol-related problems in the population as a whole and in specific sub-populations; (2) studying risk and protective factors for alcohol-related problems in the population as a whole and in specific subpopulations;  (3) elucidating disparities among racial/ethnic groups with respect to alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems; (4) understanding the natural history, course, and short- and long-term outcomes of alcohol consumption.

Background

Epidemiologic research projects typically generate data with potential utility beyond the specific hypotheses and questions that they were designed to address. Often data are not fully analyzed, especially when unexpected research questions emerge after the end of the project’s funding period.  Analyzing such existing data sets can therefore provide a cost-effective means to test specific hypotheses that have not been adequately examined. The further analysis of existing research data may also be prompted by a need to confirm new findings or to aid in the development of new research questions. 

Also appropriate for secondary analyses are relevant cross-sectional and longitudinal survey data collected by Federal, State, and local government agencies. Secondary data analyses of these data may serve as an economical alternative to expensive and time-consuming new data collection projects.  A few examples of such publicly available data sets are: the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (NLAES), the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) conducted by NIAAA; the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor; the National Adolescent Student Health Survey (NASHS), a cooperative project of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse; the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS); the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) conducted by NCHS; the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) (formerly the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA),  conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; and the National Mortality Followback Survey conducted by NCHS. 

In addition to the examination of specific research hypotheses, existing data sets may also be used to cross-validate exploratory analyses in ongoing studies, to test complex statistical models, and in special circumstances to provide comparison groups for experimental studies.  Meta-analysis, in which results from multiple studies may be compared or combined, is considered to be a form of secondary data analysis for the purpose of this program announcement.  Moreover, secondary analysis is appropriate for many types of data, including qualitative information, and may also cover the integration of quantitative and qualitative data.

Areas of Research Iinterest

Alcohol epidemiology is the study of the distribution in the population of alcohol-related problems and disorders.  Research in this area includes the investigation of patterns of alcohol consumption and of the incidence, prevalence and etiology of alcohol-related problems and disorders in the population as a whole and in specific subpopulations.  It also includes studies that enhance our knowledge about risk and protective factors (personal, environmental and genetic) for alcohol-related problems, and how these factors may vary and/or interact in various populations and/or be affected by other factors such as family history, education, health status, socio-economic status and occupation.

More specifically, this general area includes, but is not limited to: (a) the epidemiology (causes, course and outcomes) of alcohol-related problems including alcohol use disorders among the general population and among special populations, for example, youth, racial/ethnic groups, women and the elderly; (b) the relationship of alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorders to other psychiatric disorders and conditions; (c) the relationship of alcohol consumption to the development, course, and outcomes of physical illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, liver disease and HIV/AIDS; (d) the study of prenatal exposure to alcohol, including the epidemiology of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and alcohol-related neurodevelopment disorders (ARND); and (e) the role of alcohol in intentional and non-intentional injury and death including homicide, suicide, and vehicular and other accidents.

Applicants may conduct secondary analyses relevant to alcohol-related epidemiology using large, nationally representative data sets or smaller, regional or locally based data sets. As mentioned above, many data sets in the public domain which contain items relevant to alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems have not been fully analyzed. Appropriate data sets include those collected or coordinated by agencies of the Federal Government (e.g., surveys carried out by the National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), various State governments, and regional or local governments. Applicants may also secure access to other data sets that may or may not be in the public domain, such as those collected under research grant funds, sponsored by private entities (e.g., philanthropic foundations, motor vehicle administrations, or commercial businesses) or originally collected for purposes other than research (e.g., health care, criminal justice or insurance data).

The Alcohol Epidemiologic Data Directory is a resource document that lists data sets of potential relevance to this announcement.  It is available on NIAAA’s website at the following address: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/datasys.htm or from an NIAAA contractor: CSR Incorporated, 2107 Wilson Blvd., Suite 1000, Arlington, VA 22201, 703/312-5220.  The information provided for each data set includes: title, sponsoring agency, contact person, survey design/purpose, methodology, sample size, alcohol variables, other variables and limitations.

Examples of general types of secondary analyses that may be considered within the scope of this announcement are given below. This list is illustrative and not exhaustive; prospective proposals need not be limited by these examples.  Scientific considerations and the potential benefit of the proposed analyses should guide any proposed research.

• New analyses of past or current studies: Appropriate analyses include: those which explore overarching initial hypotheses further but which are significant enough to justify a new stand-alone analytic research project; and those which investigate hypotheses beyond those tested in the original study.
•  Large sample or multiple sample comparisons: Investigators may use large archival data sets with identified subgroups or multiple data sets for comparison with one another. For example, an investigator may obtain two or more data sets for the development and testing of integrated research hypotheses for multiple cohorts, different genders, or different ethnic groups.
• Methodology development: Single or multiple data sets may be used to demonstrate new or improved research designs, measurement techniques, or analytic approaches.  For example, researchers may wish to develop new analytic techniques for longitudinal designs that take into account transitions in alcohol and other drug use behaviors over time, or use existing data to undertake the simulation of complex systems for predicting the use of alcohol or the emergence of alcohol-related problems at an individual, group, or community level.
• Developmental Projects: Investigators might examine the feasibility of using certain types of data records or certain kinds of data sets for answering alcohol-related epidemiologic research questions, particularly if these types of data have not been widely used to address alcohol-related hypotheses.  Examples include abstracting from medical encounter records, and analyzing general health or criminal justice data.

Prepared: March 9, 2006