Recognize: Improving how alcohol use and personal background are measured with community input
Project Recognize: Improving Measurement of Alcohol Use and Demographic Factors through Community Engagement
This project creates clearer, fairer questions and data methods so teens and adults from diverse U.S. communities are accurately represented for alcohol use and related health research.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11369216 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From your perspective, the team works directly with community members to rewrite how surveys and medical records ask about drinking and personal background. They will review existing federal surveys and EHR forms, pilot new question wording (including options to select multiple responses), and gather feedback from people of different races, ethnicities, ages, and gender identities. The project will test whether the new questions capture alcohol use and demographic details more accurately and consistently across systems. Findings will be used to recommend changes to surveys, clinics, and researchers so health data better reflects everyone’s experiences.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are teens and adults from diverse racial, ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds in U.S. communities who can share their experiences with alcohol use and demographic identity questions.
Not a fit: People outside the U.S., very young children, and individuals not asked to take part in the community feedback or surveys are unlikely to gain direct benefits from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could make health data more accurate across demographic groups, enabling better-targeted prevention and care for alcohol-related problems.
How similar studies have performed: Previous community-engaged and measurement-validation projects have improved survey questions, but applying this approach specifically to align demographic measures and alcohol use across EHRs and national surveys is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, United States
- Northwestern University — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Phillips, Gregory L. — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Phillips, Gregory L.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.