Aiming to understand cardiovascular disease and improve prevention in under-researched populations

For decades, NHLBI has studied cardiovascular health and disease in different races and ethnicities, and that research has helped prevent health disparities among whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans. , yielded valuable insights on how to mitigate.

However, there is little data on the cardiovascular health of the 26.5 million people in the United States who identify as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander (NHPI). Together, these groups make up about 8% of the U.S. population and represent about 40 ethnic subgroups. And Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority group in the United States, according to U.S. Census reports.

In response, NHLBI launched an epidemiological cohort focused on these populations. It’s called MOSAAIC. Mmulti-ethnic ○observational Sstudy aAmerican acyan and pacific Islander CMunitions.

“This is an exciting and historic development,” said Gina Wei, MD, MPH, director of the Prevention and Population Sciences Program in NHLBI’s Division of Cardiovascular Sciences (DCVS) and a key player in launching the new cohort. Told.

It’s also something that’s urgently needed, said Yulin Hong, M.D., director of epidemiology at DCVS and scientific advisor on the study. “Research on these understudied groups could help close disparities and promote health equity in unprecedented ways,” he said.

Hong knows firsthand the value of such research. He is also the project scientist for NHLBI’s iconic Framingham Heart Study. This study, along with the Jackson Heart Study, the Latino Study, the Strong Heart Study, and other NHLBI cohort studies, have produced important and sometimes life-saving research findings specific to cardiovascular health. Ta. white, black, hispanic, and native american communities.

Although Asian and NHPI populations have been included in other NHLBI studies, Hong acknowledged that these groups typically represent only about 2% of study cohort participants. Additionally, the Wei, Asian, and NHPI populations have often been mistakenly viewed as one homogeneous group, he said.

“We are not all the same,” she said. “Asian Americans and NHPI groups have different experiences and different exposures to risk factors, and therefore a different burden of disease. This study recognizes that and moves research forward.”

The seven-year study, which will begin in August 2023, will recruit approximately 10,000 adults aged 18 to 64 from across the country. In particular, we will focus not only on cardiovascular health, but also on other conditions such as lung health, mental health, and social determinants of health in individuals who identify as having ancestry from East, South, and Southeast Asia. I’ll guess. or who identify as Native Hawaiian and/or Pacific Islander.

Researchers already have some knowledge of existing health disparities between these groups. For example, data shows that people of Indian, Vietnamese, and NHPI backgrounds have a higher prevalence of coronary heart disease, and that Chinese and Filipino people have more strokes than white Americans. . Research shows that cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, and obesity occur at different rates in different groups. The new study consolidates the data and sheds more light on the health status of these Asian Americans and NHPI populations.

Researchers conduct surveys and gather as much knowledge as possible from participants, including demographic information, health history, lifestyle and behavior, environment, and mental health. They look for risk factors for heart disease, metabolic disorders, sleep, and other health problems. Participants will undergo a physical examination, the protocol of which is currently under development, but will likely include anthropometry (body measurements), blood pressure, electrocardiogram measurements, and spirometry (lung measurements). It is also likely that patients will be required to provide biological samples such as blood, saliva, urine, and stool to help elucidate the disease.

This research will be conducted at six research institutions. One is the research coordinating center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington. and five clinical/community field centers (University of Hawaii at Manoa, Stanford University, University of Chicago, Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, and New York University Langone Health/Permatter Cancer Center).

This research was primarily funded by the NHLBI, which includes the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). ), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, a new wave of advocacy for groups has gained momentum in response to rising racist sentiments directed against the Asian community. Communities across the country responded by calling for greater recognition of the contributions of Asian Americans and NHPI people and a pledge to be more inclusive.

Hong believes this study is a major step in that inclusion effort.

“Perhaps decades from now, researchers will seize this moment as research on these populations begins to grow, similar to when the Framingham study began 75 years ago, and researchers will continue to explore Asian American and NHPI groups. We will look back on this as a pivotal time when we began to contribute to improving lives,” said Hong. “We look forward to helping make that happen.”

Editor’s note: May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.