Im Submits NIH R01 Application

Im Submits NIH R01 Application

Kudos to Eun-Ok Im and her entire team for the submission of their NIH R01 application entitled "A Technology-based Program for Menopausal Symptom Management of Multi-ethnic Groups of Midlife Women (MMAM)." This proposal requests funding for a five-year period with a start date of September 1, 2017.

Abstract: Inadequate menopausal symptom management has been frequently reported especially in ethnic minorities, and its main reason has been postulated as a lack of information and coaching/support that consider women’s cultural attitudes related to menopausal symptoms (e.g., cultural hesitance to discuss menopausal symptoms). As ethnic minorities comprise over 36% of the US population, the lack of culturally appropriate interventions could result in insufficient or inappropriate health care for more than 4 million ethnic minority menopausal women. However, the pressures of a fast-paced clinical setting leave health care providers with little time to consider the women’s cultural attitudes in their practice, which necessitates an innovative and creative delivery method of the information and coaching/support in primary care settings.

A technology-based approach using computers and mobile devices promises to meet this necessity with high flexibility and accessibility, and minimizes the cost of the intervention in busy primary care settings. Therefore, based on preliminary studies, the research team has developed and pilot-tested a theory-driven technology-based information and coaching/support program for menopausal symptom management that is tailored to four major ethnic groups in the U.S. using multiple features.

The purpose of this randomized intervention study is to test the efficacy of the technology-based program for menopausal symptom management of multi-ethnic groups of midlife women (MMAM) in enhancing menopausal symptom management of four major ethnic groups (Non-Hispanic [NH] White, Hispanic, NH African American, and NH Asian) of midlife women in the U.S.

The long-term goals are to: (a) develop and test an accompanying program for health care providers to increase their cultural sensitivity related to menopausal symptom management; (b) implement and test MMAM in various primary care settings; (c) determine if the management of their symptoms will lead to long-term improved health outcomes; and (d) fundamentally enhance the methodology/paradigm of technology-based interventions for midlife women.

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