CCBR: About

Dana-Farber
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Mission Statement

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The Center for Community-Based Research does research that helps to lower cancer risk in the community. We hope to learn what factors may play a role in changing health habits, and study strategies that help people take an active part in bettering their health. We also aim to learn about what kinds of environmental changes will protect people and lessen their exposure to factors that increase cancer risk. We conduct this research by focusing on:

lowering risk-related behaviors, including:

tobacco use

low consumption of fruits and vegetables

unprotected exposure to sunlight

physical inactivity

lowering potential exposures that increase cancer risk, like:

secondhand smoke

occupational carcinogens (chemicals that can cause cancer in the workplace)

increasing people's use of recommended screening for early cancer detection, like:

mammograms

Pap tests

flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy

early treatment of cancer

For the Center for Community-Based Research to meet its research goals, there must be an understanding of what helps people lower their cancer risk. How can we better encourage cancer screenings or inspire someone to make a health change? How can people get maximal benefit from cancer treatment? How can we help people understand the concept of risk?

The center learns the answers to these questions by carrying out three types of research:

Intervention research, which develops and tests how different kinds of interventions help to lower cancer risk. These types of studies are mainly randomized controlled trials that look at the effectiveness of interventions for individuals, worksites, health care facilities, or other organizations.

Health communication research, which helps better our understanding of what is behind effective communication about cancer, as well as to figure out effective ways to deliver cancer communications.

Research on the social context of cancer risk, which includes the social norms that can influence a person's decisions about health behaviors or screening. Our research focuses on several aspects of social context that influence cancer risk, including the work environment, families and social networks, and social policy.

Another one of the center's goals is to reach groups that have the highest cancer risk. Cancer risk is not evenly distributed throughout the population; rather, it is highest among lower socioeconomic status groups, those with lower levels of education, workers in lower status jobs, and among some racial and ethnic groups. The Center for Community-Based Research focuses particularly on research in these populations, and develops innovative ways to deliver interventions that capitalize on these populations' strengths and resources. By doing this research, we can make important advances in keeping the community healthier.