# Social determinants of cardiovascular disease risk over the life course

> **NIH NIH D43** · DREXEL UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $246,211

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Over the last several decades, cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and the prevalence of CVD risk factors
have steadily increased in the Central American region, in contrast to other countries of the Americas where
CVD is no longer increasing or on the decline. The rise of CVD in the region has occurred in tandem with
increases in urbanization and widening social inequities, and poses a growing, untenable burden for its limited
public health and health care systems. While research in high income countries highlights interventions on
social determinants of health as levers to prevent cardiovascular disease, less is known about the specific,
intervenable social determinants that can help prevent CVD in Central America. Training and mentoring of the
local workforce in identifying relevant research questions, in the use of appropriate research methods, and in
the dissemination of results to the scientific community, the public, and policy makers is critical to identify and
develop interventions to prevent CVD in the region. To this end, researchers from Drexel University and the
Institute for Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) have partnered to establish a training program
focused on developing the research capabilities of trainees and local capacity building in the conduct of policy-
relevant research on the influence of social determinants and place-based factors on CVD risk across the
lifespan. Key elements include: (1) a focus on factors at multiple levels (from cities, to neighborhoods, to
persons) and over the lifecourse, (2) the use of rigorous state-of-the-art methods; (3) an emphasis on the value
of interdisciplinary approaches; and (4) dissemination and translation of research findings into policy actions.
The program leverages the SALURBAL Study, a unique multidisciplinary collaboration focused on the region.
Training activities will include (1) training of up to 3 PhD students or up to 5 Masters students; (2) support for
up to 4 postdoctoral fellows and 11 visiting faculty fellows promoting the development of junior and mid-career
faculty; (3) annual workshops and periodic webinars and journal clubs on social determinants of health, CVD
and lifecourse epidemiology, and research methods; (4) support for the development of data management and
analytical capacity on site; and (5) enhanced south-south collaborations in mentorship and research. As a
result of the program we expect to see an increase in the number researchers with Masters or Doctoral
degrees at INCAP, an increase in the number of publications and grant proposals submitted by local
researchers, larger numbers of mentoring relationships, publications, and grant proposals involving
collaborations between INCAP and other countries in the region, greater capacity for data
management/analysis at INCAP, and greater engagement of local investigators in CVD research and
dissemination activities, including policy translation in the region. We also expect t...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10893336
- **Project number:** 5D43TW011971-04
- **Recipient organization:** DREXEL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ana Victoria Diez Roux
- **Activity code:** D43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $246,211
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10893336

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10893336, Social determinants of cardiovascular disease risk over the life course (5D43TW011971-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10893336. Licensed CC0.

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