Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Other study findings include:

• Tobacco use: The highest percentage of current smokers identified as Puerto Rican, while the second highest percentage identified as Cuban. People from these backgrounds also had higher rates of asthma and COPD. 
• High blood pressure: HCHS/SOL participants had slightly lower rates of high blood pressure than non-Hispanic white people. However, young men in the study with high blood pressure were less likely to know their blood pressure status. Of those young men who were aware, less than half were getting treatment or working to get their blood pressure under control. 
• Diabetes: Diabetes is very common for Hispanic and Latino people in the U.S. People of Mexican, Central American, and South American backgrounds had the highest rates of diabetes Also, almost 40% of people who met the criteria for diabetes did not know they had the condition. 
• Cholesterol: Central American men and Puerto Rican women were most likely to have high cholesterol levels. 
• Heart disease and brain health: Hispanic and Latino people who had higher risks for cardiovascular diseaseshad trouble with memory and cognition. 

Ongoing studies

Studies within the HCHS/SOL continue today, including:

• Investigations of the gut microbiome and its association with diabetes
• How maternal health before conception can influence a child’s likelihood to develop obesity
• The impact of inactive lifestyles (sedentary patterns) on obesity, insulin resistance, and blood sugar (glucose) levels. 
• The study of Peripheral vascular disease (also known as Peripheral Artery Disease)
• Stiffening of the arteries and diseases of the brain’s small blood vessels, and how these conditions influence cognitive function and dementias
• Chronic eye disease, sexual orientation, gender identity, and heart disease risk 
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess fibrosis of the liver and heart function
• Computed tomography (CT) imaging assessments of calcium in the coronary artery to study subclinical, or early, heart disease. 
• The impact of air pollution on the development of diabetes. 

HCHS/SOL data and samples continue to spur new areas of scientific discovery. 

Researchers can learn more about how to access HCHS/SOL resources through the study and through NHLBI’s cloud-based ecosystem, Biologic Specimen and Data Repository Information Coordinating Center (BioLINCC/BioData Catalyst).

Between 2008 and 2011, volunteers ages 18 to 74 received initial assessments and tests to understand any risk factors they had at the start of the study. 

Each year since 2009, the team has conducted follow-up interviews to understand participants’ changing health outcomes. 

The study has expanded significantly beyond collecting cross-sectional baseline data. It has led to many offshoot, or ancillary, studies with goals and objectives beyond those of the original HCHS/SOL. 

These studies, some still ongoing, have assessed additional risk factors such as: 

• Nutrition
• Physical activity
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Blood pressure
• Blood lipids
• Genetic factors
• How adopting U.S. cultural norms impacts health (acculturation)
• Social and economic determinants of health
• Psychosocial influences
• Work, jobs, and occupations
• Healthcare access
• Medicines and supplements
• Environmental and community impacts on health

The HCHS/SOL is in its third contract period and is currently co-funded by the NHLBI and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).

Previously, the study was funded by the following: 

• 2013-2018: Co-funded by the NHLBI and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
• 2006-2013: Co-funded by the NHLBI, NIMHD, the National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the National Institute on Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.