About the Study
The China Seven Cities Study is a longitudinal investigation of substance use and lifestyles in seven of China’s most populated urban areas: Harbin and Shenyang in the northeast, Wuhan in central China, Chengdu and Kunming in the southwest, and Hangzhou and Qingdao in the coast regions. The seven cities represent a broad spectrum of economic developmental stages, thus providing a unique opportunity to study regional variations of the impact of westernization and modernization on substance use and control.
CSCS research identifies and assesses specific influences on tobacco use, alcohol use, and other related health behaviors among youth, college students, and adults arising from unprecedented economic growth and subsequent social and cultural changes occurring in China as it moves towards a market economy. A secondary purpose of the CSCS is to provide training in research methodology, application, and infrastructure development to Chinese public health professionals interested in tobacco and alcohol control research.
Dr. C. Anderson Johnson was director and principal investigator of both the Pacific Rim Transdisciplinary Tobacco & Alcohol Use Research Center and the China Seven Cities Study. He leads a consortium consisting of the School of Community and Global Health at Claremont Graduate University, the Institute for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention Research at the University of Southern California; the Health Bureaus, Centers for Disease Control, and Institute of Health Education in seven cities; the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Peking University; and at least one university in each of the seven participating provinces. The municipal government, Health Bureau, and Education Committee in each city provide additional support.
Investigators
C. Anderson Johnson, PhD
Director and Principal Investigator of the China Seven Cities Study
Email address: andy.johnson@cgu.edu
Liming Lee, MD, MPH
Co-Principal Investigator of the China Seven Cities Study
Paula Palmer, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator of the China Seven Cities Study
Email address: paula.palmer@cgu.edu
Partner Institutions
1. China Center for Disease Control and Prevention & Peking University School of Public Health
2. Harbin Center for Disease Control
3. Shenyang Center for Disease Control
4. Qingdao Center for Disease Control
5. Hangzhou Center for Disease Control
6. Wuhan Center for Disease Control & Wuhan Health Bureau
7. Chengdu Center for Disease Control
8. Kunming Health Education Institute
Training
Training occurs in epidemiology, statistics, community trials, biobehavioral science, genetics, survey development, data collection and analysis, program management, and research administration. The goal of the CSCS is to increase the capacity of our Chinese colleagues to conduct research and develop and evaluate prevention programs independently.
In the summer of 2004, the CSCS investigators and the China CDC entered into an agreement to train national, provincial, and municipal leaders in public health for China. This educational collaboration included one-month workshops taught jointly by American faculty and China Health Ministry experts.
In partnership with the School of Community and Global Health at Claremont Graduate University, the CSCS currently offers multidisciplinary training for master and doctoral students as well as postdoctoral fellows. Students at all levels of training and from all nations are afforded numerous opportunities for involvement in ongoing research.
Findings
Acknowledgements
Funding for the Pacific Rim Transdisciplinary Tobacco & Alcohol Use Research Center was provided by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Key support is also provided from the cities of Chengdu, Hangzhou, Harbin, Kunming, Qingdao, Shenyang, and Wuhan, the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Peking University School of Public Health.