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Principal Investigator: Kimberly A. Bertrand
Organization: BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $2,035,759
Funding agency: National Cancer Institute
High rates of chronic diseases, including many types of cancer, in U.S. Black women are widely recognized, but large gaps in knowledge remain. We began the Black Women’s Health Study (BWHS) in 1995 to identify reasons for this excess in chronic disease. At that time Black women represented a very small proportion of participants in observational cohort studies. We enrolled 59,000 participants over an eight-month period in 1995 via a lengthy mail questionnaire.
Subsequently, participants were asked to complete follow-up questionnaires, usually four pages in length, every two years, either by mail or online. In the most recent questionnaire cycle, responses were split equally between the two methods. Over 51,000 participants are still alive and response rates continue to be good. Among approximately 48,000 who were sent a 2019/20 questionnaire, 71% completed it and 79% responded to either that questionnaire or the prior one. Saliva samples as a source of germline and microbial DNA have been obtained and stored for 27,800 participants and blood samples for 13,030 participants. Breast tumor samples have been obtained for over 1,000 breast cancer cases; tumor tissue collection was begun in the most recent funding period for four other cancers. BWHS research covers the spectrum from individual behaviors, medication use, and other characteristics, to psychosocial factors, genetic factors, and area-level factors. Peer-reviewed publications have addressed a range of health conditions: cancers that include breast, lung, ovarian, colorectal, endometrial, pancreatic, liver, and multiple myeloma; type 2 diabetes; obesity; lupus; sarcoidosis; preterm birth; infertility; uterine leiomyoma; cognitive decline; sleep disorders; hypertension; and mortality. More than half of current participants are under age 64, affording the potential for additional research on cancer etiology, including with collection of new or repeated exposures and covariates. During the next funding period, we expect to produce impactful findings with regard to risk of multiple myeloma and colorectal, lung, and pancreatic cancer; breast and colorectal cancer survivorship; cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease; end-stage renal disease; and other conditions. To reduce costs, we will reduce the frequency of questionnaires while still linking to the National Death Index, Medicare, and cancer registries to identify and confirm new cancers, other illnesses, and deaths. We will continue to share BWHS data and samples with investigators from other institutions and will modernize our website and data sharing systems to increase accessibility. Continued follow- up in this landmark study is critical to inform opportunities for risk reduction in a high-risk population, and to provide findings relevant to all U.S. women.
Terms: <AD dementia><Active Follow-up><Address><Adult-Onset Diabetes Mellitus><Affect><Age><Alzheimer Type Dementia><Alzheimer disease dementia><Alzheimer sclerosis><Alzheimer syndrome><Alzheimer's><Alzheimer's Disease><Alzheimers Dementia><Archives><Assay><Behavior><Behavioral><Besnier-Boeck Disease><Bioassay><Biological Assay><Biological Markers><Biological Specimen Banks><Biological Substance Banks><Blood><Blood Plasma><Blood Reticuloendothelial System><Blood Sample><Blood Serum><Blood leukocyte><Blood specimen><Boeck's Sarcoid><Breast><Breast Cancer><Breast Neoplasms><Breast Tumors><COVID-19><COVID-19 infection><COVID-19 virus infection><COVID19 infection><CV-19><Cancer Cause><Cancer Etiology><Cancer Survivor><Cancer Survivorship><Cancers><Cannot achieve a pregnancy><Cardiovascular Diseases><Cessation of life><Characteristics><Cognitive Disturbance><Cognitive Impairment><Cognitive decline><Cognitive function abnormal><Collection><Colon Cancer><Colon Carcinoma><Colon or Rectum><Colonic Polyps><Colorectal><Colorectal Cancer><Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019><DNA><DNA Repository><Data><Data Collection><Data Files><Death><Death Rate><Deoxyribonucleic Acid><Diagnosis><Difficulty conceiving><Disease><Disorder><Disparities><Disparity><Disturbance in cognition><Drugs><ESRD><End stage renal failure><End-Stage Kidney Disease><End-Stage Renal Disease><Endometrial><Enrollment><Environmental Exposure><Environmental Factor><Environmental Risk Factor><Ethnic Group><Ethnic People><Ethnic Population><Ethnic individual><Ethnicity People><Ethnicity Population><Female Health><Fibroid Uterus><Follow-Up Studies><Followup Studies><Frequencies><Funding><Future><Genetic><Genetic predisposing factor><Germ Lines><Goals><Health><Health Inequity><Health Insurance for Aged and Disabled, Title 18><Health Insurance for Disabled Title 18><Health Status><Hypertension><Impaired cognition><Incidence><Individual><Individuals from minority><Individuals of minority><Inequalities in Health><Inequities in Health><Infertility><Infrastructure><Investigators><Ketosis-Resistant Diabetes Mellitus><Kidney Cancer><Kidney Carcinoma><Knowledge><Length><Leukocytes><Leukocytes Reticuloendothelial System><Level of Health><Link><Liver><Lung><Lung Respiratory System><Lupus><Maintenance><Malignant Breast Neoplasm><Malignant Neoplasms><Malignant Ovarian Neoplasm><Malignant Ovarian Tumor><Malignant Pancreatic Neoplasm><Malignant Tumor><Malignant Tumor of the Lung><Malignant Tumor of the Ovary><Malignant neoplasm of lung><Malignant neoplasm of ovary><Malignant neoplasm of pancreas><Mammary Cancer><Mammary Neoplasms><Mammogram><Mammography><Marrow leukocyte><Maturity-Onset Diabetes Mellitus><Medical><Medical Records><Medicare><Medication><Mentors><Methodology><Methods><Minority Groups><Minority People><Minority Population><Minority individual><Minority researcher><Modernization><Molecular Epidemiology of Cancer><Multiple Myeloma><NIDDM><Neighborhoods><Newly Diagnosed><Newly Diagnosed Disease><Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes><Non-Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus><Non-Polyadenylated RNA><Noninsulin Dependent Diabetes><Noninsulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus><Obesity><Outcome><Ovarian><Ovary Cancer><Pancreas><Pancreas Cancer><Pancreatic><Pancreatic Cancer><Paper><Participant><Peer Review><Pharmaceutical Preparations><Plasma><Plasma Serum><Plasma-Cell Myeloma><Premature Birth><Prematurely delivering><Preparation><Preterm Birth><Primary Senile Degenerative Dementia><Prospective, cohort study><Psychosocial Factor><Publications><Pulmonary Cancer><Pulmonary malignant Neoplasm><QOL><Quality of life><Questionnaires><RNA><RNA Gene Products><Racial Group><Recurrence><Recurrent><Renal Cancer><Renal Carcinoma><Reporting><Research><Research Design><Research Personnel><Research Specimen><Researchers><Reticuloendothelial System, Serum, Plasma><Ribonucleic Acid><Risk><Risk Factors><Risk Reduction><SARS-CoV-2 infection><SARS-CoV2 infection><Saliva><Sampling><Sarcoidosis><Schaumann's Disease><Scientific Publication><Serum><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection><Sleep Disorders><Slow-Onset Diabetes Mellitus><Source><Specimen><Stable Diabetes Mellitus><Structural Racism><Study Type><System><T2 DM><T2D><T2DM><Time><Tissue Arrays><Tissue Banks><Tissue Chip><Tissue Collection><Tissue Microarray><Tissue Sample><Tissue repository><Title 18><Training><Tumor Tissue><Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus><Type 2 diabetes><Type II Diabetes Mellitus><Type II diabetes><Underrepresented Ethnic Minority><Underrepresented Minority><Update><Uterine Body Fibroid><Uterine Body Leiomyoma><Uterine Corpus Fibroid><Uterine Corpus Leiomyoma><Uterine Fibroids><Uterine Fibroma><Uterine Leiomyoma><Uterus Fibroma><Vascular Hypertensive Disease><Vascular Hypertensive Disorder><Vulnerable Populations><White Blood Cells><White Cell><Woman><Women's Health><active followup><adiposity><adult onset diabetes><ages><bio-markers><biologic marker><biological specimen repository><biomarker><biosample repository><biospecimen bank><biospecimen repository><black female><black women><cancer diagnosis><cancer disparity><cancer health disparity><cancer in the colon><cancer registry><cancer risk><cancer survival><cancer-related health disparity><cardiovascular disorder><cognitive dysfunction><cognitive loss><cohort><colon polyp><colorectum><coronavirus disease 2019><coronavirus disease 2019 infection><coronavirus disease-19><coronavirus infectious disease-19><corpulence><corpus uteri fibroid><corpus uteri leiomyoma><cost><data sharing><depository><disparities in race><disparity due to race><disparity in cancer><disparity in health><drug/agent><enroll><environmental risk><ethnic subgroup><ethnicity group><fertility cessation><fertility loss><follow up><follow-up><followed up><followup><genetic risk factor><health disparities affecting women><health disparities among females><health disparities among women><health disparities experienced by women><health disparities faced by women><health disparities facing women><health disparities impacting women><health disparities in females><health disparities in women><health disparities that disproportionately affect women><health disparity><health inequalities><health insurance for disabled><health level><hepatic body system><hepatic organ system><high blood pressure><hyperpiesia><hyperpiesis><hypertensive disease><hypertensive disorder><indexing><inequality due to race><inequity due to race><infected with COVID-19><infected with COVID19><infected with SARS-CoV-2><infected with SARS-CoV2><infected with coronavirus disease 2019><infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><infertile><inherited factor><interest><ketosis resistant diabetes><lung cancer><malignancy><malignant breast tumor><mammary tumor><mammographic Imaging><mammographic examinations><mammographic exams><maturity onset diabetes><microbial><minority investigator><mortality><mortality rate><mortality ratio><myeloma><myelomatosis><neoplasm registry><neoplasm/cancer><novel><observational cohort study><ovarian cancer><pancreatic malignancy><participant engagement><patient engagement><premature childbirth><premature delivery><preparations><preterm delivery><primary degenerative dementia><psychosocial variables><pulmonary><race based disparity><race based inequality><race based inequity><race disparity><race related disparity><race related inequality><race related inequity><racial disparities in health><racial disparity><racial health disparity><racial inequality><racial inequity><racial population><racial subgroup><racially unequal><reduce risk><reduce risks><reduce that risk><reduce the risk><reduce these risks><reduces risk><reduces the risk><reducing risk><reducing the risk><repository><research study><response><risk-reducing><saliva sample><salivary sample><senile dementia of the Alzheimer type><sleep diseases><sleep dysfunction><sleep illness><sleep problem><social><specimen bank><specimen repository><study design><tumor><type 2 DM><type II DM><type two diabetes><under-representation of minorities><under-represented minority><underrepresentation of minorities><uterus leiomyoma><virtual><vulnerable group><vulnerable individual><vulnerable people><web site><website><white blood cell><white blood corpuscle><women's health disparities>