GROWTH AND HEALTH STUDY

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The NHLBI Growth & Health Study Exension (NGHS III) will continue to follow a cohort of 2,379 black and white girls first measured in 1987 when they were 9 nd 10 years old. The primary research goals continue to be the investigation of the antecedent of the differential development of obesity in black and white adolescent females and the determination of the degree to which differences in the development of obesity are associated with differences in other coronary vascular disease risk factors, such as blood pressure, blood lipids/lipoproteins and apolipoproteins. The study has tracked the girls through earl and mid-adolescence; a five year extension is proposed to continue examinations through that stage of late adolescence when patterns of adult womanhood become established. Attention will be directed toward dietary habits, physical activity patterns, socioeconomic status, psychosocial and cultural factors, early pregnancy, and lifestyle changes and choices. The Study will assess: (1) anthropometric parameters reflecting obesity and distribution of body fat, (2) changes in dietary intake and physical activity, (3) psychosocial measures of self-esteem, stress, health perceptions, depression and hopelessness, (4) blood pressure, blood lipids, glucose and insulin, and (5) demographic factors. The Berkeley clinical center, currently seeing approximately 85% of its original enrollees, proposes to increase its rate of cohort compliance by traveling to see those girls who have moved to ares outside the study area. As in the pst, local girls will continue to be seen either at their homes or at a local hospital site. The existent detailed research protocol and the ongoing trained and certified staff of medical examiners and interviewers will ensure high quality data collection. The Study will continue to yield important scientific information to help clarify etiology of the higher incidence of obesity and hypertension in black adolescent girls, track the development of the risk factors associated with CVD mortality in black women, and identify the interrelationship of these factors, ultimately promoting effective interventions in women's health.