Social and Behavioral Intervention Research to Address Modifiable Risk Factors for Cancer in Rural Populations (R01 Clinical Trial Required)

The purpose of this RFA is to solicit applications to develop, adapt, and test individual-, community- or multilevel interventions to address modifiable risk factors for cancer in rural populations. Proposals should focus on primary prevention and assess and address one or more of the social and behavioral risk factors that contribute to cancer disparities in rural populations. Proposals should also assess and address myriad social determinants of health, cultural factors, and health care and technology access barriers that may contribute to rural cancer disparities. To date, there have been few intervention studies to address social and behavioral risk factors for cancer specifically in rural populations, and very little has been published on addressing the modifiable, non-geographic aspects of rurality that may contribute variance to cancer-related outcomes in rural populations. This FOA also encourages implementation science research, to incorporate efficacious cancer control interventions in a coordinated way, into broader, sustainable health programs that are designed to reach rural populations and allow local customization and adaption. The greater availability of granular data and better understanding of issues related to place (geospatial factors) will allow for local customization and adaptation of interventions, where appropriate. It is equally important that interventions be designed to strengthen or enhance existing, sustainable programs that can be expanded to have a downstream effect on population health. Applicants are strongly encouraged to collaborate with organizations and programs with experience or infrastructure (e.g., telemedicine, behavioral health services) designed to address other health or social problems in rural populations that could afford substantial opportunities to cancer prevention and control investigators. Examples include, but are not limited to, Federally Qualified Health Centers, community health centers, rural health centers