Only a quarter of NIH preventive research looked at major causes of death

A new study finds that only one-quarter of NIH grants for preventive research projects looked at one of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S as a study outcome. Evaluating data from more than 11,000 research projects for preventive health between 2012-2017, scientists found that only about 26% of them looked at prevention measures for leading causes of death — including cancer, heart disease, and stroke — even though these causes are associated with nearly three-quarters of all deaths in the country. Moreover, only one-third of the grants looked at any leading risk factor for death, even though such factors were associated with nearly 60% of deaths. The NIH could prioritize projects that investigate major causes and risk factors of death as a way to increase research in these areas, the authors write.