Activity

Assessing Interactions Among Social, Behavioral, and Genetic Factors in Health

Type:

Consensus Study

Topics:

Biomedical and Health Research, Public Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Boards:

Board on Health Sciences Policy

Activity Description

An Institute of Medicine committee examined the state of the science on gene-environment interactions that affect human health, with a focus on the social environment, and identified approaches and strategies that aim to strengthen the integration of social, behavioral, and genetic research in this field. For the purposes of this study, "social environment" refered to the relations among people as individuals and in societies, and not environmental conditions like global warming, toxic waste, etc., even if they result from human activities. The study also consider relevant training and infrastructure needs.