Chicago Healthy Aging Study: objectives and design

Am J Epidemiol. 2013 Aug 15;178(4):635-44. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwt020. Epub 2013 May 12.

Abstract

Investigators in the Chicago Healthy Aging Study (CHAS) reexamined 1,395 surviving participants aged 65-84 years (28% women) from the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry (CHA) 1967-1973 cohort whose cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profiles were originally ascertained at ages 25-44 years. CHAS investigators reexamined 421 participants who were low-risk (LR) at baseline and 974 participants who were non-LR at baseline. LR was defined as having favorable levels of 4 major CVD risk factors: serum total cholesterol level <200 mg/dL and no use of cholesterol-lowering medication; blood pressure 120/≤80 mm Hg and no use of antihypertensive medication; no current smoking; and no history of diabetes or heart attack. While the potential of LR status in overcoming the CVD epidemic is being recognized, the long-term association of LR with objectively measured health in older age has not been examined. It is hypothesized that persons who were LR in 1967-1973 and have survived to older age will have less clinical and subclinical CVD, lower levels of inflammatory markers, and better physical performance/functioning and sleep quality. Here we describe the rationale, objectives, design, and implementation of this longitudinal epidemiologic study, compare baseline and follow-up characteristics of participants and nonparticipants, and highlight the feasibility of reexamining study participants after an extended period postbaseline with minimal interim contact.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease; epidemiologic studies; follow-up examination; risk factors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aging / physiology*
  • Biomarkers
  • Blood Pressure
  • Body Mass Index
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / epidemiology
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / etiology*
  • Chicago / epidemiology
  • Cholesterol / blood*
  • Cholesterol / standards
  • Diabetes Mellitus
  • Educational Status
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Health Behavior*
  • Health Status
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Risk Factors
  • Sleep / physiology
  • Smoking

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Cholesterol