Cohort Study: Honolulu Heart Program 1965
Honolulu Heart Program cohort study 1965 is the epidemiologic investigation of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), particularly among male descendants of Japanese migrants living within Hawaii. The basic epidemiology measures in the study were sociological factors, history of illness, the status of smoking, and level of physical activity1. Coronary heart disease (CHD) was consistently lower among the Japanese population than the Americans. However, a higher occurrence of stroke was present.
Specifically, the measure of risk used was the prevalence of coronary heart disease, heart stroke, and cancer. There have been follow-ups for the same study participants after 20 or more years so that morbidity and mortality rates could also be checked2.
The risk was calculated with multiple logistic regression for the identified risk factors. The analysis showed that age, systolic blood pressure, cholesterol level, serum glucose, the status of smoking, and consumption of liquor were the most likely significant risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart stroke, and even cancer. The relative risk of 2.82 was assessed for the participants who had diabetes compared to the relative risk of 1.18 for those who did not have any diabetes.
The authors conclusions indicated a non-representative nature of the study results since the sample was non-random. It is agreeable since the random nature of the sample produces natural representativeness of the population under study. The selection method creates a huge difference in the findings and the generalization of the sample exploration.
I would infer from the data that active lifestyle and factors associated with maintaining a healthy lifestyle might not always determine mortality or morbidity rates for a certain geographic population. There could be other historical diseases and genetic or hormonal changes that a person might get influenced by. One persons circumstance who belongs to a particular geographic population might not be true for all people, such as the Japanese.
References
1. Kagan A. Honolulu heart study, the cohort studies (1947-1972). University of Minnesota. Updated October 15, 2012. Accessed February 2, 2022. http://www.epi.umn.edu/cvdepi/study-synopsis/honolulu-heart-study/
2. Curb JD, Abbott RD, Rodriguez BL, et al. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the risk of stroke in elderly men: The Honolulu heart program. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2004; 160(2), 150-157. https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/160/2/150/76309. Accessed February 2, 2022.
