Social determinants in the link between obesity and cancer

Project Co-Leaders
Dr. Peter Hovmand, Associate Professor, Founding Director of the Social System Design Lab, George Warren Brown School of Social Work

Dr. Graham Colditz, Chief, Division of Public Health Sciences; Deputy Director, Institute for Public Health; Associate Director for Prevention and Control, Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center

Co-Investigators
Dr. Kenneth Carson, Assistant Professor, Medical Oncology Section

Timothy Hower, Associate Director, Social System Design Lab, George Warren Brown School of Social Work

Project Summary
This project focuses on understanding the role that social determinants play in the link between obesity and cancer at the population level across the lifespan. This team will develop a multi-cohort simulation model of obesity and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Once established, additional cancers can be added to the model using data from this or other TREC Centers.

Project Aims

  1. Develop a multi-cohort system dynamics computer simulation model of obesity and NHL population level outcome trends.
  2. Analyze the resulting model to identify how social determinants influence obesity and NHL population level outcome trends.
  3. Design guidelines along with their implementation strategies to identify the most effective way to reduce the impact of social determinants of NHL population level outcomes.