abstract: 'Background: Prevalence of chronic diseases and unhealthy lifestyle

  behaviors among the adult population of Puerto Rico (PR) is high;

  however, few epidemiological studies have been conducted to address

  these. We aimed to document the methods and operation of establishing a

  multisite cross-sectional study of chronic diseases and risk factors in

  PR, in partnership with academic, community, clinical, and research

  institutions.

  Methods: The Puerto Rico Assessment of Diet, Lifestyle and Diseases

  (PRADLAD) documented lifestyle and health characteristics of adults

  living in PR, with the goal of informing future epidemiological and

  intervention projects, as well as public health, policy, and clinical

  efforts to help improve the population''s health. The study was conducted

  in three primary care clinics in the San Juan, PR metropolitan area.

  Eligible volunteers were 30-75y, living in PR for at least 10 months of

  the previous year, and able to answer interviewer-administered

  questionnaires without assistance. Questions were recorded

  electronically by trained interviewers, and included socio-demographic

  characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, self-reported medically-diagnosed

  diseases, and psychosocial factors. Waist and hip circumferences were

  measured following standardized protocols. A subset of participants

  answered a validated food frequency questionnaire, a legumes

  questionnaire, and had medical record data abstracted. Process and

  outcome evaluation indicators were assessed.

  Results: The study screened 403 participants in 5 months. Of these, 396

  (98\%) were eligible and 380 (94\%) had reliable and complete

  information. A subset of 242 participants had valid dietary data, and

  236 had medical record data. The mean time to complete an interview was

  1.5 h. Participants were generally cooperative and research

  collaborators were fully engaged. Having multiple sites helped enhance

  recruitment and sociodemographic representation. Diagnosed conditions

  were prevalent across sites. Challenges in data monitoring, interviewer

  training, and scheduling were identified and corrected, and should be

  addressed in future studies.

  Conclusions: Epidemiological studies in PR can be successfully

  implemented in partnership with multiple institutions. Effective

  recruitment and implementation requires concerted planning and continued

  involvement from partners, frequent quality control, brief interviews,

  reasonable incentives, and thorough training/re-training of

  culturally-sensitive interviewers. Further studies are feasible and

  needed to help address highly prevalent chronic conditions in PR.'
affiliation: 'Mattei, J (Corresponding Author), Harvard TH Chan Sch Publ Hlth, Dept
  Nutr, 665 Huntington Ave,Bldg 2, Boston, MA 02115 USA.

  Mattei, Josiemer; Tamez, Martha; Campos, Hannia; Willett, Walter C., Harvard TH
  Chan Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Nutr, 665 Huntington Ave,Bldg 2, Boston, MA 02115 USA.

  Rodriguez-Orengo, Jose F.; Corujo, Francheska; Claudio, Aida; Rios-Bedoya, Carlos
  F., Fdn Invest Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR USA.

  Rodriguez-Orengo, Jose F., Univ Puerto Rico, Sch Med, Dept Biochem, Med Sci Campus,
  San Juan, PR 00936 USA.

  Villanueva, Hector, HealthProMed, Santurce, PR USA.

  Campos, Hannia, Univ Hispanoamer, Ctr Invest \& Innovac Nutr Translac \& Salud,
  San Jose, Costa Rica.

  Willett, Walter C., Harvard TH Chan Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol, Boston, MA USA.

  Tucker, Katherine L., Univ Massachusetts, Dept Biomed \& Nutr Sci, Lowell, MA USA.

  Rios-Bedoya, Carlos F., Hurley Med Ctr, Dept Internal Med, Flint, MI USA.'
article-number: '136'
author: Mattei, Josiemer and Rodriguez-Orengo, Jose F. and Tamez, Martha and Corujo,
  Francheska and Claudio, Aida and Villanueva, Hector and Campos, Hannia and Willett,
  Walter C. and Tucker, Katherine L. and Rios-Bedoya, Carlos F.
author-email: jmattei@hsph.harvard.edu
author_list:
- family: Mattei
  given: Josiemer
- family: Rodriguez-Orengo
  given: Jose F.
- family: Tamez
  given: Martha
- family: Corujo
  given: Francheska
- family: Claudio
  given: Aida
- family: Villanueva
  given: Hector
- family: Campos
  given: Hannia
- family: Willett
  given: Walter C.
- family: Tucker
  given: Katherine L.
- family: Rios-Bedoya
  given: Carlos F.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1186/s12889-017-4035-z
files: []
issn: 1471-2458
journal: BMC PUBLIC HEALTH
keywords: 'Puerto Rico; Observational studies; Collaborative work; Partnerships;

  Health disparities; Chronic diseases; Lifestyle behaviors; Population

  health; Community health; Process evaluation'
keywords-plus: 'HEART-HEALTH-PROGRAM; HISPANIC COMMUNITY; PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY; LATINOS

  HCHS/SOL; RISK-FACTORS; PERCEIVED STRESS; SOCIAL SUPPORT;

  DIETARY-INTAKE; PUBLIC-HEALTH; LOW-INCOME'
language: English
month: JAN 31
number-of-cited-references: '72'
orcid-numbers: 'Tucker, Katherine/0000-0001-7640-662X

  Tamez, Martha/0000-0003-3164-1647

  Mattei, Josiemer/0000-0001-5424-8245'
papis_id: e5016dc2bd1c43b7177c6b3741932c47
ref: Mattei2017challengesopportunit
researcherid-numbers: Mattei, Josiemer/H-1800-2016
times-cited: '15'
title: Challenges and opportunities in establishing a collaborative multisite observational
  study of chronic diseases and lifestyle factors among adults in Puerto Rico
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000393624600005
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '8'
volume: '17'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health
year: '2017'