Jackson Heart KIDS Pilot Study

Principle Investigator: Bettina M. Beech, Dr.PH, MPH

Co-Principle Investigator: Marino A. Bruce, PhD, MSRC, MDiv

Funding Source: Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health

Funding Period: 9/12/2012 - 3/31/2013

Mechanism: OMH Grant

Location: Jackson, MS

Project Summary

The Jackson Heart Kids Pilot Study will enroll children and grandchildren of African American adults participating in the ongoing Jackson Heart Study in Jackson, MS. This pilot study will enroll 200 children, ages 12-19 and watch these children as they grow into adulthood. This study will not only help confirm that becoming overweight as an adult is a process that begins in childhood and adolescence, but also track patients' health through several life stages. 

Specific Aims:

(1) Consent, recruit, and enroll 200, 12-19 year old offsprings (children and grandchildren) of participants in the Jackson Heart Study

(2) Collect behavioral and psychosocial measures (dietary intake, physical activity, sleep and stress), anthropometric measures (height, weight, and waist circumference), and biologic measures (fasting blood glucose and blood pressure) to estimate the prevalence of specific lifestyle factors which may influence the risk for cardiovascular disease in this cohort

(3) Use the resultant data from this pilot study to determine the feasiblity of, and to estimate the sample size parameters required for an eventual prospective, longitudinal cohort study of African American youth.