Heart failure (HF) is a major public health problem leading to considerable cardiovascular morbidity & mortality. The impact of HF on minority populations, such as Native Hawaiians (NHs) & other Pacific Peoples (PPs), is unknown. NHs are known to have high rates of risk factors for HF & one of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the U.S. Access to appropriate care is known to improve health outcomes for HF patients, but access to specialist care presents a major barrier for NHs & PPs because they tend to reside in medically underserved areas. To address HF disparities among NHs and PPs, a partnership program, the HF Disparities Program (HFD), will be established between the Queen Emma Clinic (QEC) and the Department of NH Health. Partners of the HFD Program include: MedStar Research Institute, Oahu-based Community Health Centers (CHCs) & the Hawaii EXPORT Center, an NIH-funded initiative addressing diabetes-associated disparities in NH/PP. The HFD Program will achieve the following research & educational aims: 1) Determine the reliability & validity of echocardiograms performed by community-based health workers compared to a professionally trained sonographer as the """"""""gold standard"""""""". 2) Determine if a culturally competent educational program for heart failure reduces HF hospitalizations & mortality compared to usual care. 3) Characterize ethnic differences in the heart failure syndrome in hospitalized NHs & PPs compared to Caucasians. 4) Construct HF pedigrees using probands identified at the QEC for a future HF linkage study in NHs & PPs. 5) Educate community-based health workers to perform echocardiography scans for the detection of HF in a high risk population of NHs & PPs. 6) Train new investigators to conduct research focused on CVD disparities in general, and heart failure in particular. By achieving these aims, the HFD Program will improve access to HF care at CHCs that serve NHs & PPs, fill a gap in knowledge of CVD disparities in NHs & PPs and provide a foundation for future studies on genetic determinants of HF.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project--Cooperative Agreements (U01)
Project #
5U01HL079152-03
Application #
7118916
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHL1-CSR-R (S2))
Program Officer
Desvigne-Nickens, Patrice
Project Start
2004-09-30
Project End
2009-08-31
Budget Start
2006-09-01
Budget End
2007-08-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$585,900
Indirect Cost
Name
Queen's Medical Center
Department
Type
DUNS #
054787481
City
Honolulu
State
HI
Country
United States
Zip Code
96813
Vawer, May; Kaina, Patsy; Leonard, Ann et al. (2013) Navigating the cultural geography of indigenous peoples' attitude toward genetic research: the Ohana (family) heart project. Int J Circumpolar Health 72:
Look, Mele A; Kaholokula, Joseph Keawe; Carvhalo, Amy et al. (2012) Developing a culturally based cardiac rehabilitation program: the HELA study. Prog Community Health Partnersh 6:103-10
Lee, Rachel; Onopa, Janet; Mau, Marjorie K et al. (2010) Diabetes care in a predominantly Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander outpatient population. Hawaii Med J 69:28-30
Mau, Marjorie K; Asao, Karynna; Efird, Jimmy et al. (2009) Risk factors associated with methamphetamine use and heart failure among native Hawaiians and other Pacific Island peoples. Vasc Health Risk Manag 5:45-52
Ito, Hiroki; Yeo, Khung-Keong; Wijetunga, Mevan et al. (2009) A comparison of echocardiographic findings in young adults with cardiomyopathy: with and without a history of methamphetamine abuse. Clin Cardiol 32:E18-22
Droitcour, Amy D; Seto, Todd B; Park, Byung-Kwon et al. (2009) Non-contact respiratory rate measurement validation for hospitalized patients. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc 2009:4812-5