The study of health assessment and risk in ethnic groups (SHARE): Rationale and design

The Study of Health Assessment and Risk in Ethnic groups (SHARE) is a study to determine the risk factors for atherosclerosis among three ethnic popul ations in Canada. Three hundred and thirty South Asian Canadian, 320 Chines e Canadian and 320 European Canadian men and women between 35 and 75 years of age are being randomly sampled from communities in Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta for assessment of conventional(ie, smoking, dyslipidemia, diabetes and hypertension) and emerging tie, candidate genes for atherosclerosis, homocysteine, fibrinolytic parameters, neurohormones, glucose intolerance, markers of infection, socioeconomic status, psychosoci al status and diet) cardiovascular disease risk factors. Subclinical athero sclerosis is measured by quantitative B mode ultrasonography of the carotid arteries, and other objective measures of vascular disease are a 12-lead e lectrocardiogram, a two-dimensional echocardiogram, ankle to arm blood pres sure ratio and urine microalbumin concentration. The relationship between t he conventional and emerging risk factors, and atherosclerosis, vascular di sease and markers of end-organ damage will be evaluated between and within ethnic groups.