TY  - BOOK
AU  - Howard, Barbara V
AU  - Umans, Jason G
TI  - Utilizing harmonization and common surveillance methods to consolidate 4 cohorts: the Western Alaska Tribal Collaborative for Health (WATCH) study
SN  - 1239-9736
PY  - 2013///
KW  - *Cardiovascular Diseases/eh [Ethnology]
KW  - *Diabetes Mellitus/eh [Ethnology]
KW  - *Health Surveys/sn [Statistics & Numerical Data]
KW  - *Inuits
KW  - *Sentinel Surveillance
KW  - Adolescent
KW  - Adult
KW  - Aged
KW  - Aged, 80 and over
KW  - Alaska/ep [Epidemiology]
KW  - Arctic Regions/ep [Epidemiology]
KW  - Chronic Disease
KW  - Cohort Studies
KW  - Databases, Factual
KW  - Female
KW  - Humans
KW  - Incidence
KW  - Male
KW  - Middle Aged
KW  - Risk Factors
KW  - Rural Population/sn [Statistics & Numerical Data]
KW  - Young Adult
KW  - MedStar Health Research Institute
KW  - Journal Article
KW  - Research Support, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
KW  - Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
KW  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
N1  - Available online through MWHC library: 2002 - present
N2  - BACKGROUND: According to health status reports, chronic disease prevalence appears to be rising in western Alaska Native (AN) people, and accurate population-based data are needed. Four cohort studies of western AN people were conducted in the Norton Sound and Yukon-Kuskokwim regions, but none have been large enough to allow reliable estimates of rates of chronic diseases and evaluate their risk factors; CONCLUSIONS: The combined cohort provides statistical power to examine incidence rates and risk factors for CVD and diabetes and allows for analyses by geographic region. The data can be used to develop intervention programmes in these populations and others; DESIGN: Tribal permission was obtained for each cohort study and the consolidated study. Data from baseline exams were directly combined or harmonized into new variables. Common surveillance methods were developed and implemented to identify incidence and risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and type 2 diabetes; OBJECTIVE: In this article, the methods used to combine 4 major cohort studies of rural western AN people are described and the benefits and challenges encountered in combining data and standardizing surveillance methods for these studies are discussed; RESULTS: A cohort of 4,569 western AN participants (2,116 men and 2,453 women), aged 18-95 years, was established to study CVD and diabetes prevalence. Prospective surveillance data over an average 6.7-year follow-up can now be used to study CVD and diabetes incidence and associated risk factors in a subset of 2,754 western AN participants (1,218 men and 1,536 women) who consented to initial surveillance
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20572
ER  -