Genomic and environmental risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in Africa: methods used for Phase 1 of the AWI-Gen population cross-sectional study
Date
2018-07-12
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Abstract
There is an alarming tide of cardiovascular and metabolic disease (CMD) sweeping across Africa.
This may be a result of an increasingly urbanized lifestyle characterized by the growing
consumption of processed and calorie-dense food, combined with physical inactivity and
more sedentary behaviour. While the link between lifestyle and public health has been
extensively studied in Caucasian and African American populations, few studies have been
conducted in Africa. This paper describes the detailed methods for Phase 1 of the AWI-Gen
study that were used to capture phenotype data and assess the associated risk factors and end
points for CMD in persons over the age of 40 years in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We developed a
population-based cross-sectional study of disease burden and phenotype in Africans, across six
centres in SSA. These centres are in West Africa (Nanoro, Burkina Faso, and Navrongo, Ghana),
in East Africa (Nairobi, Kenya) and in South Africa (Agincourt, Dikgale and Soweto). A total of
10,702 individuals between the ages of 40 and 60 years were recruited into the study across the
six centres, plus an additional 1021 participants over the age of 60 years from the Agincourt
centre. We collected socio-demographic, anthropometric, medical history, diet, physical activity,
fat distribution and alcohol/tobacco consumption data from participants. Blood samples were
collected for disease-related biomarker assays, and genomic DNA extraction for genome-wide
association studies. Urine samples were collected to assess kidney function. The study provides
base-line data for the development of a series of cohorts with a second wave of data collection
in Phase 2 of the study. These data will provide valuable insights into the genetic and
environmental influences on CMD on the African continent