The Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network (ECHORN) Cohort Study: Design, Methods, and Baseline Characteristics

Terri-Ann M. Thompson (), Mayur M. Desai, Josefa L. Martinez-Brockman (), Baylah Tessier-Sherman, Maxine Nunez, O. Peter Adams, Cruz María Nazario, Rohan G. Maharaj and Marcella Nunez-Smith
Additional contact information
Terri-Ann M. Thompson: Ibis Reproductive Health, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
Mayur M. Desai: Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
Josefa L. Martinez-Brockman: General Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
Baylah Tessier-Sherman: General Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
Maxine Nunez: School of Nursing, The University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas 00802, U.S. Virgin Islands
O. Peter Adams: Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Bridgetown P.O. Box 64, Barbados
Cruz María Nazario: Medical Sciences Campus, The University of Puerto Rico, San Juan 00921, Puerto Rico
Rohan G. Maharaj: Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
Marcella Nunez-Smith: General Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 21, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for a higher proportion of mortality and morbidity in the Caribbean and US territories—majority-minority communities—than in the United States or Canada. Strategies to address this disparity include enhancing data collection efforts among racial/ethnic communities. The ECHORN Cohort Study (ECS), a regional adult cohort study, estimates prevalence and assesses risk factors for NCDs in two United States territories and two Caribbean islands. Here, we describe the cohort study approach, sampling methods, data components, and demographic makeup for wave one participants. We enrolled ECS participants from each participating island using random and probability sampling frames. Data components include a clinical examination, laboratory tests, a brief clinical questionnaire, and a self-administered health survey. A subset of ECS participants provided a blood sample to biobank for future studies. Approximately 2961 participants were enrolled in wave one of the ECS. On average, participants are 57 years of age, and the majority self-identify as female. Data from the ECS allow for comparisons of NCD outcomes among racial/ethnic populations in the US territories and the US and evaluations of the impact of COVID-19 on NCD management and will help highlight opportunities for new research.

Keywords: noncommunicable diseases; chronic disease; United States; Caribbean region; US territories; prevalence; health disparities; biobank; cohort study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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