Accelerating Behavioral and Social Sciences through Ontology Development and Application: NIH Research Network Project (APRICOT). - Title: Advancing Prevention Research In Cancer through Ontology Tools (The APRICOT project)
Abstract
Progress in behavioral research in cancer prevention is hampered by imprecision and heterogeneity in
research and how it is reported. Ontologies provide a way of addressing this barrier by promoting clarity,
coherence and interoperability across studies and data sets.
We have developed the Behavior Change Intervention Ontology (BCIO) using ‘FAIR Guiding Principles’ that
has been recognized as the most semantically rich ontology in its domain, and its user-informed method of
development as particularly innovative. However, it does not cover all the key classes and relations needed. In
addition, our tools for using the ontology are at an early stage of development.
We, the APRICOT team, propose three key areas of activity: (i) Extend the BCIO to cover additional details of
two key behaviors (tobacco use and physical activity), methodological features of studies evaluating behavior
change interventions (including links between measures and constructs), and causal links between intervention
components and mechanisms of action (processes of change). (ii) Integrate the BCIO and ontologies covering
‘real-world’ data such as patient records and census data to better address Social and Environmental
Determinants of Health (e.g., poverty, educational level, gender identity and sexual orientation, racial and
ethnic group, and built environment). (iii) Develop tools and resources to build engagement with, and adoption
of, the BCIO for, e.g., writing study reports and protocols, and synthesizing evidence for theory and
intervention development. To achieve this, we will foster and work with a cross-domain Community of Practice
(CoP) with members from diverse backgrounds, perspectives and roles.
Throughout the project we will follow FAIR Guiding Principles and established methodologies based on
science working with our CoP as stakeholders to ensure that the ontology and its tools and resources are
developed and implemented in a way that promotes widespread adoption and meets the varied and evolving
needs of users. We will work to ensure that the BCIO, its mapping to other ontologies and its tools and
resources can be sustained and enhanced beyond the life of the project.
We will use established methodologies to extend the BCIO and integrate (i.e., re-use classes) with, and where
this is not feasible to map (i.e., cross-reference) to, other ontologies. These include ‘top-down’ (expert- and
user-led) and ‘bottom-up’ (searching reports and data) approaches to identifying priority classes and relations
to add to the ontology and iterating the process of editing labels, definitions and other meta-data (including
cross-references) in close collaboration with our CoP to ensure that they meet its diverse needs. To upgrade
and extend our tools and resources we will continue to adopt our established methodologies of ethical and
efficient design used in generating the current version, again working closely with our CoP.
