Systems Science Informed Multilevel Theoretical Model of Cardiovascular Health in Native Hawaiians

本补充申请的目的是为了支持Dr. Claire的研究和职业发展

The purpose of this supplement application is to support the research and career development of Dr. Claire Townsend Ing in establishing herself as an independent investigator engaging community and using system science theory and methods to examine and address multilevel determinants of cardiovascular disease. Native Hawaiians bear a disproportionate burden of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Multilevel interventions are relevant for hypertension prevention as blood pressure is influenced by risk and protective factors at individual, family, community, societal, and environmental levels. However, research examining these factors’ complex interactions and processes is lacking in Native Hawaiians. Such information is critical to developing a multilevel theoretical model of Native Hawaiian cardiovascular health to guide the design of culturally relevant, multi-level interventions for this understudied group. Dr. Ing will build on her experience in community-based participatory and translational research to achieve four short-term career objectives; to 1) examine multilevel determinants of cardiovascular health, 2) use systems science theory and methods to include group-based model building and community-based system dynamics, 3) improve knowledge and skill in hypertension and CVD prevention, and 4) engage Native Hawaiian community members and leaders. The proposed research will build on a partnership with a USDA-funded study (Children’s Healthy Living Center of Excellence) that includes 6 Native Hawaiian communities. Its 2019 reassessment included sociodemographic, psychosocial, behavioral, household, and community factors. Through leveraging this partnership, Dr. Ing will recruit 240 adults for additional data collection on blood pressure, height, weight, and behavioral and psychosocial factors (e.g., diet, physical activity, discrimination). Using these data, she will examine the relationships between individual, household, and community factors and blood pressure. Additionally, she will engage community leaders in 6 focus group workshops (n=48) to create causal structures of perceived links between multilevel factors and HTN. She will then synthesize the qualitative data and causal structures to create a causal loop diagram. This causal loop diagram will serve as a novel theoretical model of cardiovascular health in Native Hawaiians. The specific aims are to: 1) estimate the associations between behavioral (physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, tobacco use), biological (BMI), psychosocial (acculturation, discrimination), household (size, composition, food scarcity, use of food assistance), and community (walkability, food environment) factors and blood pressure in 240 adult Native Hawaiians, and 2) engage community leaders via focus group workshops to create a causal loop diagram depicting multilevel determinants of cardiovascular health in Native Hawaiian communities. The proposed research continuity supplement will ensure that the approved project progresses during Dr. Ing’s critical life event. Additionally, it will guarantee her ability to return to full productivity and advance along her trajectory to independence.