Improved Measures of Diet and Physical Activity

Applications for research projects for the Diet and Physical Activity Program were solicited through RFA-CA-07-032, which was designed to promote substantive work to refine or improve the assessment of usual diet and physical activity.  The research project(s) focused on the development of new or refinement of existing technologies for the measurement of usual dietary intake (including contributions from supplements and alcohol) or physical activity, or both.  Small scale validation of new technologies/methodologies as a component of a technology development project was expected.  The proposed research was aimed at developing devices or biological measures of exposures and responses that are reliable and valid, have low respondent burden, and are economically feasible for use in population studies.  Devices or biological measures should be applicable within general populations, and subgroups based on gender, cultural, and socio-economical diversity, low-literacy respondents, and/or across the lifespan.  These devices are to reach the prototype stage and be ready for application in large-scale population studies at the end of the funding period. Appropriate performance/completion milestones for each research project were proposed by applicants.

Research projects resulting from this FOA are expected to bring about substantive technological improvements. In the area of physical activity assessment, such improvements are sought in objective methods using motion or physiologic sensors, monitors, imaging methods, cellular telephone and wireless technologies, as well as bioinformatics tools and database solutions.  Approaches to assess usual dietary intake could take advantage of existing technologies, such as: sensors, scanning, and/or other measurement devices; imaging techniques; wireless technologies; and software and database applications. 
Seven Awards were made through this solicitation:

1. Tom Baranowski, Baylor College of Medicine (PDF Document, 1 Page)
2. Carol Boushey, Purdue University (PDF Document, 1 Page)
3. Patty Freedson, University of Massachusetts Amherst (PDF Document, 2 pages)
4. Stephen Intille, MIT (PDF Document, 1 Page)
5. Kevin Patrick, University of California, San Diego (PDF Document, 1 Page)
6. Mingui Sun, University of Pittsburgh (PDF Document, 1 Page)
7. Rick Weiss, Viocare Technologies (PDF Document, 1 Page)

For additional information, please contact:               

Cay Loria
Program Director
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(301) 435-0702
loriac@nhlbi.nih.gov

Jill Reedy
Program Director
National Cancer Institute
(301) 594-6605
reedyj@mail.nih.gov

Amy Subar
Program Director
National Cancer Institute
(301) 594-0831
subara@mail.nih.gov

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