Abstract
Longitudinal data are needed to investigate chronic disease causation and improve prevention efforts for Alaska Native and American Indian (ANAI) people. This paper describes the methods used to conduct follow-up data collection of a longitudinal cohort that enrolled ANAI adults between 2004 and 2006 in south central Alaska. The follow-up study re-examined ANAI participants in a large, urban centre in south central Alaska between 2015 and 2017. Computerized surveys were used to collect self-reported health, lifestyle, physical activity, and diet data. Clinical measurements included blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and lipid panel, urine albumin/creatinine, height, weight, and waist and hip circumference. Participants were provided individual results at the conclusion of their visit. A total of 1320 south central Alaska study participants completed the baseline visit. Study staff attempted to contact all living cohort members for inclusion in the follow-up study. More than 11,000 attempted contacts were made. Of the 637 available for participation, 388 completed the follow-up visit. The proportion of women increased from baseline to follow-up examinations (67 vs. 72%, p < 0.01). Self-reported health status of being married or living as married (46% vs. 39%, p < 0.01), and those reporting being employed or self-employed (55% vs. 47%, p < 0.01) were higher at follow-up when compared to baseline. Almost all participants at follow-up (97%) agreed to long-term storage of biological specimens for future study. Despite demographic differences between the follow-up and baseline cohorts, longitudinal data collected will provide novel insight on chronic disease development and prevention for ANAI people as well as other populations.
Highlights
Improvements in public health—such as vaccination programs, water/sanitation projects, and the provision of community-based primary and emergency health care with access to secondary and tertiary health care—within the Alaska Tribal Health System has resulted in increased lifespans since the mid-1950s for Alaska Native and American Indian (ANAI) people living in Alaska [1]
One example is the Alaska Education and Research Towards Health (EARTH) study, conceived originally as one of three linked ANAI cohort studies, that was designed to investigate the role of diet, physical activity, and other lifestyle and cultural factors in the development of chronic disease among ANAI people [2]
The initial project was coordinated by researchers based at the University of Utah who partnered with tribal health organizations, including the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and
Summary
Improvements in public health—such as vaccination programs, water/sanitation projects, and the provision of community-based primary and emergency health care with access to secondary and tertiary health care—within the Alaska Tribal Health System has resulted in increased lifespans since the mid-1950s for Alaska Native and American Indian (ANAI) people living in Alaska [1]. Increased life expectancy has shifted health care focus from communicable to chronic diseases This shift in focus has led several ANAI communities to redefine their health and health care priorities on the basis of research findings. One example is the Alaska Education and Research Towards Health (EARTH) study, conceived originally as one of three linked ANAI cohort studies, that was designed to investigate the role of diet, physical activity, and other lifestyle and cultural factors in the development of chronic disease among ANAI people [2]. The Alaska EARTH Follow-up study (“follow-up study” hereafter) was designed by Alaska Native tribal health organization-based researchers to reexamine the SCF subset of Alaska EARTH cohort participants enrolled 10–12 years prior.
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