Abstract 4141747: The OurHealth Study: A Decentralized Biobank of South Asian Americans

Introduction: South Asians living in the United States (SAUS) experience greater cardiovascular disease (CVD) events compared to most other racial and ethnic groups. Limited representation and collection of relevant community-specific identity, health, lifestyle, and exposure factors in studies to date have impeded understanding of this elevated risk. To address these scientific gaps, the OurHealth study was devised as a scalable national biobank of SAUS populated with demographic, health, and genetic data. Aims: The primary objectives of OurHealth are to discover South Asian-specific genomic and non-genomic risk factors for CVD and serve as a reliable resource of culturally appropriate information for cardiovascular health. Methods: OurHealth is enabled by the study platform website (https://ourhealthstudy.org), recruiting adult individuals who (1) identify with South Asian ancestry, (2) are comfortable reading or speaking English, and (3) live in the US. Recruitment efforts include social media outreach, community-based events, clinic recruitment, and health webinars, amongst others. OurHealth integrates the data donation and genomics platforms, allowing participants to remotely consent, complete surveys collecting demographic and health information, and return biospecimens for genetic sequencing. Results: Of the 664 participants who have completed the Baseline Survey, OurHealth currently includes 288 (43.4%) females and 19 (2.9%) additionally identifying with non-Asian ethnicity. Study participants’ mean (SD) age is 46 (13.8) years. Participants represent 362 unique South Asian region-language-religion groups with varied representation across the US and several identifying with multiple groups (Fig 1). Of the 615 participants who have completed the cardiometabolic history survey, 39 (6.3%) report a prior diagnosis of coronary artery disease, 237 (38.5%) hypercholesterolemia, 115 (18.7%) hypertension, 11 (1.8%) prior myocardial infarction, and 72 (11.7%) type 2 diabetes. Conclusions: OurHealth is an ongoing diverse national biobank building on prior efforts. The study provides a unique opportunity to better discover and understand the drivers of CVD risk across a diverse South Asian population in the US.