Project 175934

The CIHR Community Studies in Co-morbidities Team will bring together community partners and investigators from many disciplines to assess and monitor addiction and mental illness co-morbidities within communities using a coordinated innovative approach. Specifically, studies of individual and community level factors associated with comorbidities will be conducted using a mobile community research laboratory. The main aims of the proposed NET are to: 1) assess addiction and mental illness co-morbidities in high risk communities (e.g., high level of poverty or social disorganization) as well as communities that are representative of the population generally; 2) assess linkages between community social indicator data and co-morbidities, with the use of multi-level analytic techniques; 3) assess the extent that community resources can be enhanced to prevent and treat addiction and mental illness co-morbidities; and 4) develop in the long term a community social, addiction and mental disorder monitoring system in these communities. To address these aims, the primary objectives of the NET are to: 1) develop and coordinate research on co-morbidities in 25-30 communities using the mobile lab; 2) develop, maintain and expand a social, addiction and mental disorder monitoring surveillance system in these communities; and 3) partner with primary care settings, local health units, First Nations band councils, community agencies and other key players at the local level to develop research, prevention, treatment and knowledge transfer to address co-morbidities. This advanced data collection combined with robust community partnerships will lead to a better understanding of causes and mechanisms of co-morbidity (in terms of both individual and community risk factors), increased sharing of findings among relevant disciplines, and strategies for overcoming barriers to effective treatment for those with co-morbid conditions.