Abstract
BackgroundThe Boston Puerto Rican Health Study is an ongoing longitudinal cohort study designed to examine the role of psychosocial stress on presence and development of allostatic load and health outcomes in Puerto Ricans, and potential modification by nutritional status, genetic variation, and social support.MethodsSelf-identified Puerto Ricans, aged 45-75 years and residing in the Boston, MA metro area, were recruited through door-to-door enumeration and community approaches. Participants completed a comprehensive set of questionnaires and tests. Blood, urine and salivary samples were extracted for biomarker and genetic analysis. Measurements are repeated at a two-year follow-up.ResultsA total of 1500 eligible participants completed baseline measurements, with nearly 80% two-year follow-up retention. The majority of the cohort is female (70%), and many have less than 8th grade education (48%), and fall below the poverty level (59%). Baseline prevalence of health conditions is high for this age range: considerable physical (26%) and cognitive (7%) impairment, obesity (57%), type 2 diabetes (40%), hypertension (69%), arthritis (50%) and depressive symptomatology (60%).ConclusionsThe enrollment of minority groups presents unique challenges. This report highlights approaches to working with difficult to reach populations, and describes some of the health issues and needs of Puerto Rican older adults. These results may inform future studies and interventions aiming to improve the health of this and similar communities.
Highlights
The Boston Puerto Rican Health Study is an ongoing longitudinal cohort study designed to examine the role of psychosocial stress on presence and development of allostatic load and health outcomes in Puerto Ricans, and potential modification by nutritional status, genetic variation, and social support
Evidence suggests that health outcomes vary significantly by Hispanic ethnic subgroup; geographical and ethnic variation have been reported for the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among elderly participants in the United States (US), South America and the Caribbean [7]
The experience of the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study (BPRHS) illustrates the challenges of conducting research in a Hispanic ethnic subgroup, and demonstrates the disparities faced by this community
Summary
The Boston Puerto Rican Health Study is an ongoing longitudinal cohort study designed to examine the role of psychosocial stress on presence and development of allostatic load and health outcomes in Puerto Ricans, and potential modification by nutritional status, genetic variation, and social support. Racial and ethnic disparities in prevalence and incidence of chronic conditions are an important problem in the United States (US). Their investigation can contribute to progress toward their elimination and improved understanding of the etiology of diseases [1,2,3,4,5]. Evidence suggests that health outcomes vary significantly by Hispanic ethnic subgroup; geographical and ethnic variation have been reported for the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among elderly participants in the US, South America and the Caribbean [7]. There is evidence of variation in management of diabetes among Latino subgroups, which suggests that grouping Hispanics into one category may obscure important differences [8]
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