PI: Glen DuncanProject Number: 7R01AG042176Project Dates: 9/30/2011–5/31/2016 The goal of this research is to determine how the built environment in which individuals live, work, and play in on a daily basis influences their lifestyle behaviors and health. We couple advanced methods in geospatial data management and analysis with cutting-edge technology, the multisensor board (MSB), to gather […]
PI: Ellen SchurProject Number: 5R01DK089036Project Dates: 9/20/2011–8/31/2016 Twin studies have provided decisive evidence for the hereditary nature of body weight regulation, demonstrating that individual differences in tendencies to gain weight can be explained by an interaction between genotype and nutrition. The exact mechanisms that connect genes to weight gain remain unknown, but they are crucial to […]
PI: Robert EmeryProject Number: 2R01HD056354Project Dates: 6/1/2011–5/31/2014 Family life is widely viewed as having a profound influence on both children and adults. However, broad changes in family structure have contributed to evolving, and controversial, ideas about what makes a “normal” or “healthy” family. Social scientists contribute both to basic knowledge about family life, and to social […]
PI: M. Juliana McElrathProject Number: 5UM1AI069481Project Dates: 2/1/2007–12/9/2013 Development of a safe vaccine to halt the HIV-1 epidemic is an urgent global public health priority. Our Seattle vaccine unit and community have devoted more than 17 years to clinical HIV vaccine development. Our accomplishments include long-standing leadership with the HVTN, an outstanding track record in volunteer […]
We investigated the association of restrained eating with BMI and weight gain while controlling for the influence of genes and shared environment. Participants were 1,587 twins enrolled in the University of Washington Twin Registry (UWTR). Restrained eating was assessed by the Herman and Polivy Restraint Scale. Height and weight were self-reported on two occasions. Analyses […]
Background: Studies have found a modest association between depression and obesity, especially in women. Given the substantial genetic contribution to both depression and obesity, we sought to determine whether shared genetic influences are responsible for the association between these two conditions. Methods: Data were obtained from 712 monozygotic and 281 dizygotic female twin pairs who are members […]
Chronic pain and obesity, and their associated impairments, are major health concerns. We estimated the association of overweight and obesity with 5 distinct pain conditions and 3 pain symptoms, and examined whether familial influences explained these relationships. We used data collected from 3,471 twins in the community-based University of Washington Twin Registry. Twins reported sociodemographic data, […]
Objective: Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) is a chronic pain condition with unclear underlying etiology. Our objectives were to determine whether psychological distress was higher in twins with urological symptoms commonly found in IC/PBS than in twins without, and if so, did familial influences contribute to this association. Method: Data from 1165 female twins in a community-based […]
Study objective: To determine the relative importance of genetic and environmental contributions to the association between sleep duration and body mass index (BMI). Methods: Twins from the University of Washington Twin Registry, a community-based sample of U.S. twins, provided self-reported height and weight for BMI calculation and habitual sleep duration. A generalized estimating equation model evaluated the […]
Objective: We examined the relative contributions of genetic and environmental influences to restrained eating. Method: Restrained eating was assessed by the Restraint Scale in a survey mailed to all twins enrolled in the University of Washington Twin Registry. We used structural equation modeling to estimate genetic and nongenetic contributions to restrained eating. Results: 1,196 monozygotic (MZ), 456 same-sex […]
PI: Dedra BuchwaldProject Number: 1RC2HL103416Project Dates: 9/30/2009–7/31/2011 The value of twin studies is well recognized at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where an estimated 255 twin studies were funded in 2009. Twin studies have provided insights into the epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, and natural history of diverse disease and developmental endpoints. However, a substantial proportion of […]
PI: Eric StrachanProject Number: 1R21AI081347Project Dates: 9/1/2009–8/31/2011 A large and growing body of psychoneuroimmunology research demonstrates that psychological stress is an important moderator of immune system functioning. Recent studies suggest, however, that it is not the presence of a stressor per se but rather individual difference in appraisals of, and responses to, the stressor that leads […]
Objective: To determine if shared genetic or environmental vulnerabilities could underlie depression and migraine. Background: Depression and migraine headaches frequently coexist and their comorbidity may be due to shared etiologies. Methods: Female twins in the University of Washington Twin Registry responded to a mailed survey regarding their health history. Depression and migraine were determined by self-report of a […]
Aims: To determine whether symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are related to the pain of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in a community-based sample of female twin pairs, and if so, to ascertain whether the association is due to the presence of chronic widespread pain (CWP) and familial/genetic factors. Methods: Data were obtained from 630 monozygotic and 239 […]
Background: The health benefits of regular physical activity are well established. However, the relative contribution of heritable and environmental factors to physical activity participation remains controversial. Using a cut-point of 60 minutes of total activity per week, data from the GenomEUtwin project revealed consistent genetic influence on physical activity participation in 37,051 twin pairs from seven […]
Prolonged fatigue of ≥1 month duration and chronic fatigue of ≥6 months duration are both commonly seen in clinical practice, yet little is known about the etiology or epidemiology of either symptom. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), while rarer, presents similar challenges in determining cause and epidemiology. Twin studies can be useful in elucidating genetic and […]
PI: Nathaniel WatsonProject Number: 5K23HL083350Project Dates: 5/01/2007–3/31/2012 This K23 award will allow Dr. Watson to become an investigator proficient in genetic epidemiology and the design and conduct of interdisciplinary research on gene-environment interactions in sleep medicine. The training and research activities will focus on complex environmental and genetic influences on habitual sleep duration and the impact […]
Background: Considerable overlap in symptoms and disease comorbidity has been noted among medically unexplained and psychiatric conditions seen in the primary care setting, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, low back pain, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic tension headache, fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint disorder, major depression, panic attacks, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Objective: To examine interrelationships among these 9 conditions. […]
The University of Washington Twin Registry is a community-based registry of twins identified from the Washington State Department of Licensing. A fortuitous quirk in the Washington State drivers’ license and identification number assignment, and collaborative Washington State laws, permitted us to build a statewide registry. Since obtaining approval from the Washington State Attorney General, the […]
Previous studies of the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic widespread pain (CWP) or fibromyalgia have not examined the role of familial or genetic factors. The goals of this study were to determine if symptoms of PTSD are related to CWP in a genetically informative community-based sample of twin pairs, and if so, […]
