UNC’s Thurston Arthritis Research Center (TARC) has received a 5-year, $3.5 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to expand and sustain the “Dissemination and Delivery of Arthritis-Appropriate, Evidence-Based Interventions (AAEBIs)” into communities across the country.  The expansion of this initiative comes at a time when arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting more than 52 million adults – a number that is expected to rise to 78 million by 2040.

The project will be overseen by Leigh Callahan, PhD, Mary Link Briggs Distinguished Professor of Medicine and director of Community and Outcomes Research at TARC.

The CDC-sponsored initiative aims to address two major goals.

The first goal is facilitating the growth and sustainability of the education and policy efforts of the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance (OAAA). Also directed by Callahan and managed through TARC, the OAAA includes more than 90 organizations from across the US and is focused on elevating osteoarthritis as a national health priority and promoting effective policy solutions to address the disease’s national toll. Kirsten R. Ambrose, MS, with TARC will continue her role as national program manager of the OAAA.  Amanda E. Nelson, MD, assistant professor of medicine, will serve as a medical advisor to the OAAA and continue her role as chair of a special workgroup focused on activating physicians who can vigorously support the group’s efforts nationally.

The second element in this initiative involves working through the OAAA and its member organizations to expand the dissemination and delivery of arthritis interventions specific to 1) Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs, which provide education and tools to help people with chronic diseases manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life; and 2) the Arthritis Foundation’s Walk With Ease program, a community-based physical activity program.

Callahan has led several research studies in communities across North Carolina that served to validate Walk With Ease – including the Spanish-language version, “Camino Con Gusto” – as an effective physical activity program to help adults with arthritis minimize pain and improve their overall well being.  Now, she will promote this and other evidence-based interventions through public health messaging and small, community-based grants to encourage participation across the country.

Mary Altpeter, PhD, MSW, a research scientist at TARC, will work to create partnerships and a program delivery network to increase awareness and participation in both the Chronic Disease Self-Management and Walk With Ease programs. Yvonne M. Golightly, PhD, PT, research assistant professor of Epidemiology in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and TARC member, will continue to serve as the OAAA grants program officer to extend small grants to community-based organizations across at least 25 states over the course of the 5-year funding period to support implementation of physical activity programs for adults with arthritis.