The “Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) is a multi-center epidemiologic study led by NIH’s NHLBI, the National Institute Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases plus some funding from other Institutes.
The NIH study describes the prevalence of cardiovascular and pulmonary disease and other select chronic diseases in the Hispanic and Latino communities. The study is examining protective or harmful factors related to the community, changes in health over time including the incidence of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease events, examining pulmonary disease in the community, plus, looking at the role that sociocultural factors have on Hispanic/Latino health.
The initial study period was funded from 2006 to 2013 with 16,415 Hispanic/Latino adults living in San Diego, Chicago, Miami, and the Bronx N.Y. enrolled. Each participant was identified as either Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or South American.
The four centers involved in examining the participants in the study are affiliated with San Diego State University, University of Illinois at Chicago, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx area of New York, and the University of Miami.
A research Coordinating Center at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill is providing additional scientific and logistical support. In addition, the Echocardiography Reading Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard University is performing the reading and interpretation of echocardiograms.
“Although Hispanics represent one out of every six people in the U.S., our knowledge about Hispanic health has been limited”, said Larissa Aviles-Santa, M.D, a Medical officer in the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at NHLBI and project officer of the HCHS/SOL project.
She added “These detailed findings provide a foundation to address questions about the health of the U.S Hispanic/Latino population and a critical understanding of risk factors that could lead to improved health in all communities. The data will individuals, communities, scientists, and health policy makers to tailor health strategies to help Hispanics.”
While cardiovascular and lung health were key components of the evaluation, HCHS/SOL also performed dental exams, hearing tests, and glucose tolerance tests. As in the case of diabetes, about 1 in 3 individuals had pre-diabetes, which was fairly evenly distributed among Hispanic groups, with only half of individuals with diabetes among all Hispanic groups having it under control. In the second study period, participants will undergo a second exam and will continue to be followed annually to determine changes in health and health outcomes.
Go to www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/obesity/pop-studies/hchs.htm for more information on the study.