Need Help?

Jackson Heart Study (JHS) Cohort

The Jackson Heart Study (JHS) is a large, community-based, observational study whose participants were recruited from urban and rural areas of the three counties (Hinds, Madison and Rankin) that make up the Jackson, MS metropolitan statistical area (MSA). Participants were enrolled from each of 4 recruitment pools: (1) random, 17%, (2) volunteer, 30%, (3) currently enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, 31%, and (4) secondary family members, 22%. The final cohort of 5,306 participants included 6.59% of all African American Jackson MSA residents, aged 35-84, during the baseline exam (N-76,426, US Census 2000). Among these, approximately 3,600 gave consent that allows genetic research and deposition of data into dbGaP. Major components of three clinic examinations (see study history) include medical history, physical examination, blood/urine analytes, and interview questions on areas such as physical activity, stress, coping and spirituality, racism and discrimination, socioeconomic position, and access to health care. Extensive clinical phenotyping includes anthropometrics, electrocardiography, carotid ultrasound, ankle-brachial blood pressure index, echocardiography, CT chest and abdomen for coronary and aortic calcification, liver fat, and subcutaneous and visceral fat measurements, and cardiac MRI. At 12-month intervals after the baseline clinic visit (Exam 1), participants have been contacted by telephone to update information, confirm vital statistics, document interim medical events, hospitalizations and functional status, and obtain additional sociocultural information. Questions about medical events, symptoms of cardiovascular disease and functional status are repeated annually. Ongoing cohort surveillance includes abstraction of medical records and death certificates for relevant International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes and adjudication of nonfatal events and deaths. CMS data are currently being incorporated into the dataset.

Note: Regarding date variables warehoused in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) Cohort on dbGaP, the coordinating center has developed an algorithm that will systematically review and de-identify any of the (nearly 100) date-related variable types stored in the data package. To simultaneously minimize (i) de-identifiability of the data and (ii) impact on analyses utilizing sensitive data elements, a participant-level random number was generated to avoid the necessity of sharing any potentially sensitive data. The coordinating center maintains an archived linkage of these data in their raw form and regularly reviews ad hoc requests to utilize the raw data on a project-by-project basis.

The JHS Cohort is utilized in the following dbGaP substudies. To view genotypes, other molecular data, and derived variables collected in these substudies, please click on the following substudies below or in the "Substudies" section of this top-level study page phs000286 JHS Cohort.