Request for Letters of Intent (RFP 007): Public Perception and Acceptable Levels of Health Risk Among Canadians

I. Deadline

• Letters of Intent (LOI) must be received by March 15, 2002 (12:00 noon E.S.T.).

II. Funding and General Information

• Maximum funds available: $500,000.
• Proposals with budgets that exceed $250,000 will be deemed ineligible, without exception.
• Maximum project duration is 24 months from date of funding.
• Preference will be given to proposals that clearly demonstrate national relevance.

III. Scope of Competition

Objective

The overall objective of this research is to assist Health Canada in formulating policy related to determining how health risks become acceptable to Canadians and in decision-making related to the factors that influence Canadian public perception of health risks. In order to do this, a better understanding of how to measure the Canadian public perception of known risks (e.g., ozone depletion), voluntary risks (e.g., impaired driving, suntanning, smoking, etc.), involuntary risks (e.g., chemical or radiation exposure) and theoretical risks (e.g., climate change) is required. The research should also broaden our understanding of how to determine the level of acceptable risk to Canadians, as well as how best to align the public perception of risks to the assessed risks to health.

This research would focus on the collaborative development of criteria, processes and methods for determining levels of protection from health risks that are acceptable to Canadians. Within this framework, the research would include known, voluntary, involuntary and theoretical risks. For those proposals which address the acceptable risk aspect, a review of the current literature on risk perception especially as it pertains to the Canadian situation is required.

The production of good, solid, validated tools and methodologies that can assist in determining acceptable levels of risk are an overall goal.

Context

Health risk can be defined as the probability that an event will occur, e.g., that an individual will become ill or die within a stated period of time or by a certain age (Last, 2001). Types of health risks include microbial hazards (e.g., acquiring E. coli 0157 infection from undercooked hamburgers); environmental hazards (e.g., skin cancer from ultraviolet radiation, other cancers from low-dose radiation); risks from exposure to regulated health and consumer products (e.g., pharmaceuticals, medical devices, natural health products); risks from voluntary behaviours (e.g., being injured in a traffic collision while driving impaired); as well as risks of adverse consequences of certain health care interventions (e.g., surgical procedures).

Risk assessment is the process of using clinical, epidemiologic, toxicologic, environmental and other pertinent data to qualitatively or quantitatively estimate the likelihood of adverse effects that may result from exposure to specified health hazards or from the absence of beneficial influences. Once a risk has been assessed, it must be managed. Risk management involves deciding what is an acceptable risk, how the level of the risk can be brought down, and kept down, to a level that is acceptable, and monitoring the reduction in risk after exposure control actions have been taken (Last, 2001).

Closely related to the fields of risk assessment and management are the concepts of risk perception and risk communication. Risk perception refers to the way in which individuals intuitively see and judge the level of risk associated with a particular exposure or hazard. Risk perception can affect a person's behaviour and the personal decisions made about controlling their risks. Risk perception is influenced by many factors, including age, gender, level of education, geographical region and values, as well as the level of risk communication transmitted through the news media or other sources of information related to a particular exposure or hazard.

The public may perceive the level of risk associated with a specific health hazard as being different from (higher or lower than) the level determined through risk assessment. Moreover, while Canadians are quite aware of individually chosen lifestyle risks such as smoking, street drugs, alcohol and suntanning, theoretical risks are less well known to the public.

The public perception of health risks may change over time. Studies have indicated that many of the hazards currently of concern to Canadians were not of great concern only a few years ago. Periodic surveys can track trends in public opinion in light of new discoveries in the types of hazards, new information disseminated through educational campaigns and risk management policies.

Recommended methodologies for measuring risk perception and acceptable risk levels and, in general, the processes and methods involved in this area are of strong interest for this proposal.

Policy Research Questions

(Note: Responses to all of the following questions should pertain to the Canadian public as a whole. In addition, they should take into account the various types of risks (known, voluntary, involuntary and theoretical risks), where applicable.

1. What do we mean by the term acceptable risk?
2. What are the factors that influence risk perception (e.g., public education)?
3. What are the trends, over the past 10 years, in the public perception of risk for various types of risk?
4. What is (are) the recommended methodology(ies) for measuring risk perception and the levels of acceptable risk?
5. What methods can be used to dissect perceived risk into the factors that influence perception and to modify perceptions of risk which are disproportionately higher (or lower) than the assessed level of risk? A comprehensive discussion of the Canadian aspects of the literature and their implications for application in a regulatory environment are particularly important.

IV. Policy Contact

Prior to developing a LOI, policy inquiries should be directed to:

Suzanne Bisaillon Senior Advisor Risk Management HECSB, Health Canada Tel: (613) 946-6536 Email: Suzanne_Bisaillon@hc-sc.gc.ca

The policy contact is responsible for ongoing interaction with researchers to provide contextual guidance and advice. We encourage all applicants to consult with the policy contact prior to preparing a LOI.

The policy contact is to be consulted on the policy issues and LOI content only. Formatting, eligibility/ineligibility, and other administrative questions (such as time frames, budgets, etc.) should be directed to the HPRP Program Officer. As the policy contact will not provide letters of support, applicants must outline their interaction(s) with Health Canada staff in the body of the proposal.

Please do not forward a LOI (draft or otherwise) to the policy contact for review at any time. Preliminary review of a LOI by the policy contact will be deemed a conflict of interest and may result in the disqualification of your proposal.

V. How to Apply

There is a two phase application process. Researchers are invited to submit a LOI before 12:00 noon (E.S.T) on March 15, 2002. Only researchers with LOI's found to be eligible and relevant to the identified policy research priority will then be invited to submit a full proposal.

Researchers are strongly encouraged to consult the Health Policy Research Program Guide before preparing a LOI. If you are interested in submitting a LOI in relation to this RFP, please refer to APPENDIX A: How to Prepare a Letter of Intent and APPENDIX B: Assessment Criteria for Letters of Intent.

When developing a LOI, please direct inquiries regarding eligibility, the proposal preparation and review process, and terms and conditions of the HPRP to:

Elizabeth Maddocks Senior Program Officer Health Policy Research Program Research Management & Dissemination Division Health Canada Tel: (613) 954-8557 Fax: (613) 954-7363 Email: Elizabeth_Maddocks@hc-sc.gc.ca

VI. References

Last, JM, ed. A Dictionary of Epidemiology, 4th edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

APPENDIX A

How to Prepare a Letter of Intent

1. Instructions

Content of each LOI must not exceed three (3) pages (8 ½ x 11 inches). No appendices or attachments are permitted. Print must be 1½ line spacing and be a font similar to Times Roman 12 pts. A one inch (1") margin must appear at the top, bottom, left and right sides of each page.

PART A - Provide the following information in this order:

1. Principal Investigator's name (one investigator only) and signature;
2. Full mailing address;
3. Telephone/fax/e-mail;
4. Name of institution which would administer the funds and signature of authorized officer;
5. Title of project;
6. Specific policy research topic addressed;
7. Approximate total budget (and annual breakdown) and duration of research project (budgets that exceed the amount allowed per project, as indicated in the Request For Letters of Intent, will be deemed ineligible without exception);
8. List of all co-investigators with affiliations and their roles on the project.

PART B - Provide the following information in this order:

1. Proposed research objective(s) and/or research question(s);
2. Rationale showing how the proposed research objectives/questions will supply critical parts of the evidence base for addressing the policy question(s);
3. Brief outline of the study design and methodologies to be used;
4. Team strengths, including the mix of team skills and abilities to address the question(s) from a policy perspective;
5. The linkages the team has developed and/or proposes to develop with Health Canada and other relevant partners in the context of this project;
6. Expected outcomes including the significance of the new knowledge that will be generated from the study and its ability to inform the specific priority question(s) identified in the Request for Letters of Intent.

Completed LOIs must be submitted to the HPRP at the following address: Elizabeth Maddocks Health Policy Research Program Research Management & Dissemination Division Health Canada, Room 1526B, Jeanne Mance Building Tunney's Pasture / Ottawa, Ontario / KIA 0K9 Fax: (613) 954-7363

APPENDIX B

Assessment Criteria for Letters of Intent

1. Eligibility

Eligibility of both the Principal Investigator and the Agency will be assessed according to Sections 6, 6.1 and 6.2 of the Guide.

2. Completeness/conformity

All information identified in APPENDIX A: How to Prepare a Letter of Intent must be provided to enable assessment of policy priority fit.

3. Policy Review

Assessment of the level of policy fit (ranking) of the research question(s) outlined in the LOI with the priorities identified in the Request for Letters of Intent.