Carole Holahan, Professor in Health Behavior and Health Education, and Charles Holahan, Professor in Psychology, are principal investigators on a recently awarded R03 grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The grant – Living with a Smoker, Cross-Domain Health Risk Behaviors, and Obesity – aims to test an innovative model linking living with a smoker to other health risk behaviors. These risks include low physical activity, sedentary behavior, unhealthy diet, and overweight/obesity. The research will be funded for two years. Daniel Powers, Professor in Sociology, is a co-investigator.
The study will focus on middle-aged and older women, a population at risk of exposure to passive smoking. It will use data from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study. Understanding the role of social ties in communicating multiple cancer-relevant health habits has the potential to advance population health and to reduce health disparities.
