July 25, 2023
Director's Voice Blog
Advancing Social Determinants of Health Research at NIH Through Cross-Cutting Collaboration. This month’s blog focuses on the efforts of the NIH Social Determinants of Health Research Coordinating Committee. Our co-chairs, Dr. Shannon Zenk, NINR Director, and Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable, NIMHD Director, highlight the history and activities of this important coordinated effort at the NIH.
Why does the statement “Your zip code is more important to your health than your genetic code” surprise people but resonate with many population scientists?
In the United States, 21 percent of the population lives in concentrated poverty areas, limiting access to health-promoting resources and services. Research shows people living in concentrated poverty areas have poorer health outcomes across a wide range of diseases and conditions and are also more likely to die than those living in other areas.
Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Spotlights
Using content analysis to understand the usage of stigmatizing language in recent scientific literature and its harmful effect on people living with HIV
People living with HIV and experts in the field have long advocated for the use of person-first language, which is a way to emphasize that the disorder, disease, condition, or disability as only one aspect of the whole person. Outdated terms such as “HIV-infected” and “AIDS-infected” are negative and dehumanizing, with the latter being clinically inaccurate. Previous research indicates that HIV-related stigma is associated with a reduction in antiretroviral medication therapy adherence, mental health decline, decreased engagement with healthcare services, and increased substance use. Reducing the usage of HIV-related stigmatized language across scientific published works is imperative; policy makers and healthcare professionals read and utilize the same language in their daily conversations, which can increase specific health-related stigmas and perpetuate discrimination. Recently published research supported by NIAAA and NIDA performed a content analysis on the usage of HIV-related stigmatizing language in peer-reviewed scientific literature to understand and help address this issue.
"Just enough” diet tracking can still support healthy weight loss
Research has shown that lifestyle interventions such as food/calorie tracking, can be effective for achieving modest weight loss; however, it is unclear how much tracking is necessary to achieve certain weight-loss goals. Standard behavioral weight-loss interventions range from 3 – 24 months in length and often require daily dietary self-monitoring. However, this type of tracking is burdensome to the individual so it can result in a decline in adherence over time. In a recent publication, a multidisciplinary team of researchers funded by NHLBI sought to determine the optimal number of days for diet tracking to achieve clinically significant weight loss goals.
A mouse model of adolescent heavy drinking indicates long lasting brain alterations following binge drinking
Binge drinking, defined as a pattern of alcohol consumption that raises blood ethanol concentration to above 80mg/dL within 2 hours, is one of the most dangerous patterns of alcohol misuse and negatively impacts individuals of all ages. However, adolescents may be particularly at risk since their brains are not fully mature until approximately 25 years of age. One key brain area that is still maturing in adolescence is the prefrontal cortex, which is essential for executive functioning, risk assessment, and decision-making. In a recent study supported by NIGMS and others, researchers sought to understand how the brain changes with voluntary binge drinking during adolescence in a mouse model.
News and Events
Dr. Jane M. Simoni selected as Associate Director for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, NIH
I am pleased to announce the selection of Jane M. Simoni, Ph.D., as NIH Associate Director for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and Director of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). She will join NIH on July 30, 2023, to lead OBSSR’s efforts to advance and coordinate behavioral and social sciences research at NIH, working closely with NIH Institutes and Centers.
Dr. Simoni brings more than 25 years of experience in research focused on health disparities and resilience among populations that have been socially marginalized, including persons with HIV and other chronic illnesses, Latinx, LGBT and Indigenous peoples. Her intervention research has examined behavioral aspects of chronic illness, using mixed methods and clinical trials to evaluate strategies such as peer support, medical record alerts, provider training and counseling and mHealth to promote treatment engagement and health outcomes. Her work capitalizes on cutting-edge behavioral and social science methods and theory to inform the development, efficacy and implementation of health promotion and disease prevention programs.
NIH OBSSR Director's Webinar: The Theoretical and Practical Importance of Advancing Health Equity
Date and Time: September 19, 2023, 2:00 - 3:00pm ET
Location: via Zoom
Overview: Health equity has become a hot topic over the past few years. The COVID-19 pandemic made salient just how separate and unequal the United States remains in modern life, and the consequences of that inequality for the health and wellbeing of individuals and broader collectives. In response, scientists, policymakers, and the broader public renewed their interest in (or became interested in the first time) what can be done to address these issues and improve health equity in our society. Although broad interest in health equity is relatively new, research on this topic is extensive—social scientists have been studying it for decades. In this talk, I will discuss what we have learned (and what we still need to learn), the implications of that knowledge and how it is generated, and why the pursuit of health equity is important for advancing theories across the sciences, which has practical benefits for broader society.
Presenter: Neil A. Lewis, Jr., Ph.D.
Assistant professor of communication and social behavior, Cornell University
Assistant professor of communication research in medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine
Co-Director, Action Research Collaborative, Cornell University
Recently Published Funding Opportunities
BSSR Accomplishments
The NIH has been an instrumental leader in shaping and supporting behavioral and social sciences research (BSSR) to improve the nation’s health. Integrated with advances in other scientific disciplines, BSSR has made substantial contributions to the prevention or treatment of numerous physical health and mental health conditions.
In collaboration with subject matter experts from Institutes, Centers, and Offices across NIH, OBSSR has summarized some of the important scientific advances that demonstrate the valuable contribution of BSSR across various health conditions and behaviors. These summaries are provided as fact sheets (PowerPoint slides forthcoming) that highlight a significant public health problem and the corresponding BSSR-informed approaches used to address the problem. Various audiences such as academic researchers, public health organizations, and other health federal agencies, may find these materials useful to demonstrate to their stakeholders the importance of BSSR to the health of the United States population.
These new BSSR accomplishment resources are available on the OBSSR website:
Improving Sleep
Managing Chronic Pain
Preventing and Treating Diabetes
Preventing Intimate Partner Violence
Reducing Teen Pregnancy
Reducing Tobacco Use
Treating Depression
Treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Treating Phobias
Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Additional BSSR accomplishments will be added to the website in 2023.
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