# Incorporation of a Hypertension Working Group into the Jackson Heart Study

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2023 · $725,465

## Abstract

Studying hypertension in African-American adults in 2020 is more important than ever in light of recent findings
that 54% of African American adults have hypertension, only 19% have their blood pressure (BP) controlled to
guideline recommended levels, and elevated BP and hypertension account for 33% of cardiovascular disease
(CVD) events among African Americans. The 2030 American Heart Association (AHA) impact goal is to
increase the health-adjusted life expectancy of US adults by 3 years over the next decade. Health-adjusted life
expectancy is shorter in African Americans compared with white adults and our preliminary data from the
Jackson Heart Study (JHS) indicates its 7 years shorter among African American adults with versus without
hypertension. In this application, we propose the renewal of the JHS Hypertension Working Group (JHS–
HWG), which will address new high priority BP research questions in African Americans and also serve to
mentor early stage investigators (ESIs) in hypertension research. Given its large sample size and extensive
phenotyping, the JHS is the ideal setting for addressing several knowledge gaps in hypertension among
African Americans. Between 2000 and 2004, 5,306 African Americans were enrolled in the JHS and completed
a baseline study visit that included clinic BP measurements and questionnaires on social determinants of
health and health behaviors. Three study visits have been conducted at which time hypertension onset and
organ damage were assessed. Participants have been followed over 16 years for CVD events. Over the past
two funding cycles (7 years), 30 JHS-HWG ESIs, including 16 under-represented minority investigators, have
published 48 manuscripts with 6 manuscripts undergoing peer review. JHS-HWG ESIs have successfully
obtained grant funding including four R01 awards, seven career development awards (six from NIH and one
from AHA), three diversity supplements, and one pre-doctoral F31 award. For the next grant cycle, we
propose to conduct research in four core thematic areas: (1) social determinants of health and risk for
hypertension and BP control; (2) health behaviors and risk for hypertension and BP control; (3) comparative
research on hypertension in African Americans versus black Africans; and (4) the impact hypertension
prevention and BP control has on increasing health adjusted life expectancy. New training activities for ESIs
include an introduction to interdisciplinary team science, career development planning, grant writing
workshops, group peer mentoring, and writing accountability groups. Also, we will provide career training for
former JHS-HWG ESIs that are now mid-career. The JHS-HWG will be led by principal investigators, who have
a strong collaborative history, and an established track record of publishing high impact hypertension research
and mentoring ESIs. Through the JHS-HWG, we aim to identify approaches to prevent hypertension, improve
BP control and increase health-adjusted life expec...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10681211
- **Project number:** 5R01HL117323-10
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Cora E Lewis
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $725,465
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-07-15 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10681211

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10681211, Incorporation of a Hypertension Working Group into the Jackson Heart Study (5R01HL117323-10). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10681211. Licensed CC0.

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