JACKSON - Health officials are evaluating preliminary findings in round one of a major heart study in Mississippi.
"We will have discovered some things we didn't know before and will be in a position to help with preventative measures in the future," said Justin Vincent, senior operations manager of the Jackson Heart Study.
More than 5,000 black men and women ages 35-84 have been participating in The Jackson Heart Study at the University of Mississippi Medical Center since fall 2000.
The study investigates the high rate of cardiovascular disease among black people. It's an expansion from a larger national study, Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, which included whites and blacks in four geographically diverse communities in the United States in the late 1980s and 1990s. In Jackson, only black people were studied.
Information was gathered from a series of questionnaires including lifestyle habits, medical history, medications, social and cultural function and lab measurements.
Vincent said Tuesday he hopes the study will be extended for 10 more years to do other rounds.
He said this is the first study of cardiovascular disease in black people. It's sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Jackson State University and Tougaloo College also are involved.
Vincent said Jackson was chosen because Mississippi has a high percentage of black residents and some of the worst health statistics in the nation.
"There was not a better place to carry out such a study," he said.
He said the state is "right up there when it comes to cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension. We have a lot of work to do."
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the nation and in Mississippi.
Mississippi's State Department of Health receives funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support state programs for heart disease and stroke prevention.
The state also is a part of the Delta States Stroke Consortium, along with Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee. These states run along The Stroke Belt region, which encompasses the Southeast with the highest incidence and mortality of stroke in the United States.
"We are going to continue to try and get people's attention," said Dr. Mary Armstrong, medical director for the Office of Health Promotions for the state Health Department. "Things aren't going as well as we would like to see them, but we would like to see people know their numbers, take ownership and take control to live a healthy life."
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