Intersection between the CDC's Winnable Battles and the Prevention Research Centers Program

Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified six public health priorities as Winnable Battles. Effective intervention strategies exist for each. While there is a strong evidence-base for promoting these six priorities, dissemination of interventions to populations most at-risk remains challenging. The Prevention Research Centers (PRC) Program, a large CDC extramural research program that funds 37 academic institutions, conducts community-based prevention research in underserved communities. Each PRC is funded to conduct a core research project; most also seek funding for special interest projects (SIP) funded primarily by CDC, and other research projects (ORP) funded primarily by foundations and other federal agencies. This analysis describes how PRC projects overlap with four Winnable Battles to promote effective public health strategies. Methods: Data on the number and content of PRC core projects and SIPs were collected through document review and on ORPs through web-survey during 2010. Descriptive statistics were calculated using SAS 2009. Results: In 2010, across 420 PRC projects, 260 were related to at least one winnable battle topic. Eighty-four percent of core research projects, 50% of SIPs, and 61% of ORPs focused on at least one winnable battle topic. Seventy-four percent of those projects focused on physical activity, nutrition, or obesity; 18% on tobacco; 17% on HIV; and 7% on teen pregnancy (topics are not mutually exclusive). Conclusion: Results suggest that PRCs have the potential to positively impact CDC's Winnable Battles in underserved communities through use of community-based approaches to disseminate evidence-based strategies that promote health and prevent disease.