Bringing NCDs to LIFE - Updates on the LIFE Project

St Ann Data Collectors in the field

 

The LIFE project is the largest cohort (follow up) study to understand chronic diseases to be undertaken in Jamaica. This island-wide study seeks to enroll 8000 adults who participated in the 2016-17 Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey as well as other persons 30 -70 years old living in these communities.

The LIFE project examines the biological, environmental and lifestyle factors that result in non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease (stroke and heart attack), diabetes and cancer in Jamaicans and other Black populations.

Our participants support our efforts by completing questionnaires, coming in for body measurements including blood pressure, height, weight and waist measurements and proving blood and urine for laboratory testing. We also ask that they advise us if they developed any of the disease conditions we have been studying after enrolling in the study.

St Elizabeth Data Collectors in the field

 

Despite the early challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic the team is now fully in the community, actively recruiting participants in Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Elizabeth, St. Ann and St. Catherine. We have partnered with the Hargreaves Hospital Laboratories in Mandeville and Biomedical Laboratories in St. Ann to process the biological samples collected outside of Kingston.

Over 3000 Jamaicans have already participated in the study. We plan to extend our recruitment into Westmoreland, St. Mary and Trelawny and begin our follow up of participants from Kingston and St. Andrew by March of 2024. A system has also been put in place to allow us to compare our data with studies from other black populations around the world so that we can understand how where we live affects our health.

To find out more about the project feel free to visit our website (https://lifeprojectja.com/) or watch the LIFE Talks on various chronic diseases that are available on the CAIHR youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2_wE3mv0l1PKGeTe56njXA.