No abstract

This study sought to establish the psychometric properties of a Coping Strategies Inventory Short Form (CSI-SF) by examining coping skills in the Jackson Heart Study cohort. We used exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson’s correlation, and Cronbach Alpha to examine reliability and validity in the CSI-SF that solicited responses from 5302 African American men and women between the ages of 35 and 84. One item was dropped from the 16-item CSI-SF, making it a 15-item survey. No significant effects were found for age and gender, strengthening the generalizability of the CSI-SF. The internal consistency reliability analysis revealed reliability between alpha = 0.58–0.72 for all of the scales, and all of the fit indices used to examine the CSI-SF provided support for its use as an adequate measure of coping. This study provides empirical support for utilizing this instrument in future efforts to understand the role of coping in moderating health outcomes.

The public health burden caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to adversely affect individuals in terms of cost, life expectancy, medical, pharmaceutical and hospital care. This burden has been excessive in the case of African Americans. The objective of this paper is to chronicle the procedures and processes that were implemented in the development of the Jackson Heart Study Coordinating Center. The Jackson Heart Study (JHS) is a population-based investigation of traditional and emerging risk factors that predict progression to CVD among African Americans. In response to the struggle against CVD, the Jackson Heart Study has convened a professional, technical, and administrative staff with specific competence in the operation of a coordinating center to handle the wide variety of areas related to CVD studies. The Jackson Heart Study Coordinating Center (JHSCC) was created to assure validity of the JHS findings and provide the resources necessary to meet comprehensive statistical needs (planning, implementing and monitoring data analysis); data management (designing, implementing and managing data collection and quality control), and administrative support. The JHSCC began with a commitment to support study functions in order to increase participant recruitment, retention and safety, meet regulatory requirements, prepare progress reports, and facilitate effective communication with the community and between all JHS centers. The JHSCC facilitates the efforts of the JHS scientists through the development and implementation of the study protocol. The efforts of the JHSCC have resulted in the successful preparation of scientific reports and manuscripts for publication and presentation of study findings and results. In summary, the JHSCC has emerged as an effective research mechanism that serves as the driving force behind the Jackson Heart Study activities.

Leptin, a 16‐kDa protein, has proinflammatory properties and has been linked to respiratory physiological responses in majority white populations. Little is known, however, about the relationship of leptin with lung function in nonwhites. Cross‐sectional associations of circulating serum leptin concentrations with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV in 6 s (FEV6), and vital capacity (FVC), assessed by spirometry, were examined in 4,679 African‐American men and women participants (54.3 ± 12.4 years; 62.7% women) in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). The independent association of leptin was examined in relation to FEV1, FEV6, and FVC% predicted after adjustment for age, education, smoking status, pack‐years of cigarette smoking, respiratory medication use, and menopausal status in women; additional adjustment included total body weight, waist circumference, and BMI. Serum leptin was inversely related to FEV1, FEV6, and FVC% predicted values in men. A dose‐response relationship was observed with men in the highest leptin quartile having a significantly lower lung function compared to men in the lower leptin quartile. BMI significantly modified this relationship in women: leptin was most consistently associated with lung function in obese women, less consistent in overweight women, and absent in normal‐weight women. Serum leptin concentration was strongly, inversely, and independently associated with lung function in African Americans, especially African‐American men and obese women.

We found some errors in Table 4 in our paper published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health recently [1]. Table 4 is corrected as follows: [...]