Guidelines for NHANES Research Proposal Submission

1
Guidelines for NHANES Research Proposal Submission

• by
• Natalie Dupree
• Margaret McDowell

2
Objectives

• To provide a brief overview of NHANES
• To describe the planning process for NHANES
  2005-2006
• To provide collaborators with information about
  the research proposal preparation process

3
Goals of NHANES

• Study the relationship of diet, nutrition and
  health
• Explore emerging public health issues
• Establish a national probability sample of
  genetic material for future research

4
NHANES sample design

• Continuous data collection beginning in 1999
• Multi-stage probability sample
• Annual national sample of 7,000 interviewed and
  5,000 examined persons
• Estimates of population subgroups require two or
  more years of data

5
NCHS NHANES Program Staff

• Planning Branch
• Operations Branch
• Information Management Branch
• Analysis Branch

6
Planning Branch Activities

• Review current survey content
• Coordinate NHANES Research Consortium activities
• Prepare proposal guidelines
• Solicit proposals
• Coordinate review and evaluation of proposals
• Decisions

7
Considerations for topic selection and inclusion

• Safe, non-invasive procedures
• Proven methodology
• Prevalence of 5 or more
• Feasible in NHANES environment
• Funding available

8
Proposal evaluation criteria

• Methods clearly stated
• Public health significance documented
• Participant burden
• Data uses outlined
• Target group(s) identified
• Data relevant across other NHANES topics
• Confidentiality and disclosure issues addressed

9
Analytic issues related to planning survey content

• Cross-sectional design w/capability for
  longitudinal follow-up
• Validated methods and data collection instruments
  used.
• Ideally, a link between interview and examination
  content
• Minimum 2-year data collection cycle

10
Examples of Proposal Topics

• New questionnaire content
• Modify existing questionnaire content
• New examination component (e.g., nasal swab,
  dermatology exam)
• Lab analyte

11
What is the collaborators role in the survey
planning process?

• Subject matter expertise and technical support
• QA/QC evaluation of data during collection
• Participation in NHANES field staff training
• Funding support

12
Confidentiality and subject protection issues

• Assurances for privacy, confidentiality,and
  safety of subjects
• Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval of
  protocol and survey materials
• Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval-
  especially respondent burden issues

13
NHANES 2005-2006 planning timelines

• Pilot testing (if needed) 1 years prior to data
  collection
• Synchronize w/surveys 2 year data collection
  cycles (05-06, 07-08, etc.)
• MEC configuration lead time
• Survey information system and database
  preparation 6 months lead time

14
Research Proposal Guidelines for NHANES 2005-2006

• Letter of Intent
• Initial NHANES Program response
• Full proposal submission
• Evaluation panel review

15
Letter of intent

• Name of project
• Statement of public health significance
• Target age/gender group(s)
• Research objectives
• Summary of methodology
• Questionnaire vs. exam
• If questions where to administer

16
Estimating Costs

• Questionnaires Guidelines provided (cost per
  minute, cost to modify CAPI)
• Examination costs Exam time, staff time, per
  sample domain
• Data processing and preparation costs
• CDC costs
• NHANES Survey Costs sampling, instrumentation,
  training, and reporting

17
NHANES Resources and points of contact

• NHANES website
• NHANES proposal guidelines and planning documents
  
• Evaluation criteria
• NHANES Listserv
• NHANES Consortium

18
NHANES Website

• Overview of NHANES
• Questionnaires and survey components
• Data products and reports
• MEC virtual tour
• NHANES 2005-2006 guidelines (future posting)

19
Summary

• Learn about the Survey
• Follow guidelines and instructions
• Select appropriate topics and target groups
• Link interview and exam components
• Identify funding
• Address human subjects issues