Incorporation of a Hypertension Working Group into the Jackson Heart Study

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Studying hypertension in African-American adults in 2020 is more important than ever in light of recent findings that 54% of African American adults have hypertension, only 19% have their blood pressure (BP) controlled to guideline recommended levels, and elevated BP and hypertension account for 33% of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events among African Americans. The 2030 American Heart Association (AHA) impact goal is to increase the health-adjusted life expectancy of US adults by 3 years over the next decade. Health-adjusted life expectancy is shorter in African Americans compared with white adults and our preliminary data from the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) indicates its 7 years shorter among African American adults with versus without hypertension. In this application, we propose the renewal of the JHS Hypertension Working Group (JHS– HWG), which will address new high priority BP research questions in African Americans and also serve to mentor early stage investigators (ESIs) in hypertension research. Given its large sample size and extensive phenotyping, the JHS is the ideal setting for addressing several knowledge gaps in hypertension among African Americans. Between 2000 and 2004, 5,306 African Americans were enrolled in the JHS and completed a baseline study visit that included clinic BP measurements and questionnaires on social determinants of health and health behaviors. Three study visits have been conducted at which time hypertension onset and organ damage were assessed. Participants have been followed over 16 years for CVD events. Over the past two funding cycles (7 years), 30 JHS-HWG ESIs, including 16 under-represented minority investigators, have published 48 manuscripts with 6 manuscripts undergoing peer review. JHS-HWG ESIs have successfully obtained grant funding including four R01 awards, seven career development awards (six from NIH and one from AHA), three diversity supplements, and one pre-doctoral F31 award. For the next grant cycle, we propose to conduct research in four core thematic areas: (1) social determinants of health and risk for hypertension and BP control; (2) health behaviors and risk for hypertension and BP control; (3) comparative research on hypertension in African Americans versus black Africans; and (4) the impact hypertension prevention and BP control has on increasing health adjusted life expectancy. New training activities for ESIs include an introduction to interdisciplinary team science, career development planning, grant writing workshops, group peer mentoring, and writing accountability groups. Also, we will provide career training for former JHS-HWG ESIs that are now mid-career. The JHS-HWG will be led by principal investigators, who have a strong collaborative history, and an established track record of publishing high impact hypertension research and mentoring ESIs. Through the JHS-HWG, we aim to identify approaches to prevent hypertension, improve BP control and increase health-adjusted life expectancy among African Americans while providing innovative training and career development opportunities for the next generation of hypertension researchers.