Sometimes the better gift you give to others is a sweet smile that shows how much you care. Michael has learned about it and he sends a great smile with best wishes for good health and prosperity this holiday season and throughout the coming year to all on behalf of HCHS/SOL.
Michael Heathcote, who is project manager of HCHS/SOL in Chicago, is very glad that over 4,000 Hispanics are still participating with follow-up interviews locally. Participants are contacted once a year for three years, “we do call them, track them and try to contact them on their anniversary date,” said Michael. All SOL participants had free clinical exams as initial part of the study; at this time, they continue with follow-up interviews by telephone usually.
The HCHS/SOL outcomes are pretty ambitious and researchers want to find out some answers to many pending questions regarding the Hispanic health such as why Hispanics would have less mortality of cardiovascular disease even though they have similar or higher risk factors and socioeconomic disadvantages than other population groups in the USA. A phenomenon dubbed “the Hispanic paradox.” To answer this one and other questions, it was necessary to set a large study in which was recruited 16,000 Hispanics nationally. The participation of Hispanics is crucial to reach the study outcomes and succeed, “I do not know if they have realized on the impact of their participation would mean for their community in the future” remarked Michael as trying to link the strategic importance of Hispanic participation and the relevance of final study outcomes. Michael thinks SOL participants need motivation to keep enrolled in research studies. After he offered his greeting to all SOL participants, he left us saying “I just would like to encourage them to always stay open to these opportunities, take them seriously, and to know how much the SOL study really means to our families and the community out there.”
Happy Holidays!
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