Social determinants of cardiovascular disease risk over the life course

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PROJECT SUMMARY Over the last several decades, cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and the prevalence of CVD risk factors have steadily increased in the Central American region. The rise of CVD in the region has occurred in tandem with widening social inequities that hamper progress toward health equity, and pose a growing, untenable burden for its limited public health and health care systems. Training and mentoring the local workforce in identifying relevant research questions, in the use of appropriate research methods, and in the dissemination of results to the scientific community, the public, and policy makers is critical to identify and develop interventions to prevent CVD in the region. Importantly, including diverse perspectives of the very populations with greatest health needs, through increasing the diversity of the research workforce and Central American institutions represented, increases the probability that the health needs of all populations are addressed and inequities are reduced. To this end, researchers from Drexel University and the Institute for Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) have established a D43 training program focused on developing the research capabilities of trainees and local capacity building in the conduct of policy-relevant research on the influence of social determinants and place-based factors on CVD risk across the lifespan. The proposed administrative supplement will extend the existing parent training program to include two partner institutions that work populations that have been underrepresented in research. Training activities for the supplement leverage the training infrastructure created by the parent training program and will include support for a postdoctoral fellow and three junior scholars, and methods-oriented workshops to increase analytical capacity of trainees. These activities will ultimately strengthen the institutional research capacity of new training partners, and, synergistically research capacity at INCAP by increasing its potential to engage in robust south-south collaborations. That is, by helping to solidify the foundation for increased south-south collaboration between INCAP and two partner institutions from Central America, the training goals of this administrative supplement will help INCAP strengthen its research on in CVD prevention among underserved indigenous and rural populations. Thus, the training program will contribute to developing a strong and sustainable research capacity that addresses health inequities and meets the health needs of all populations within Central America through increasing the diversity of the research workforce.