The Ethnic/Racial Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ERICH) study protocol.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Epidemiological studies of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) have consistently demonstrated variation in incidence, location, age at presentation, and outcomes among non-Hispanic white, black, and Hispanic populations. We report here the design and methods for this large, prospective, multi-center case-control study of ICH. METHODS: The Ethnic/Racial Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ERICH) study is a multi-center, prospective case-control study of ICH. Cases are identified by hot-pursuit and enrolled using standard phenotype and risk factor information and include neuroimaging and blood sample collection. Controls are centrally identified by random digit dialing to match cases by age (±5 years), race, ethnicity, sex, and metropolitan region. RESULTS: As of March 22, 2013, 1655 cases of ICH had been recruited into the study, which is 101.5% of the target for that date, and 851 controls had been recruited, which is 67.2% of the target for that date (1267 controls) for a total of 2506 subjects, which is 86.5% of the target for that date (2897 subjects). Of the 1655 cases enrolled, 1640 cases had the case interview entered into the database, of which 628 (38%) were non-Hispanic black, 458 (28%) were non-Hispanic white, and 554 (34%) were Hispanic. Of the 1197 cases with imaging submitted, 876 (73.2%) had a 24 hour follow-up CT available. In addition to CT imaging, 607 cases have had MRI evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: The ERICH study is a large, case-control study of ICH with particular emphasis on recruitment of minority populations for the identification of genetic and epidemiological risk factors for ICH and outcomes after ICH.

Social Media Based STEM Enrichment Curriculum Positively Impacts Rural Adolescent Health Measures.

Some STEM outreach programs connect students to real-world problems and challenge them to work towards solutions. Research shows one-third of children between ages 5-17 in the U.S. are overweight. Socioeconomic status, race, and parental educational attainment all influence this issue as well as living in a rural or urban area. A rural high school STEM outreach program used a social media curriculum focused on healthy lifestyles and measured impact on the health of adolescents from these backgrounds. Health screenings and college mentors were provided to 134 adolescents from 26 counties in WV. The social media intervention lasted seven months with participants using near-peer and mentor support to achieve personal health goals set at the initial health screening. The results of pre- and post-intervention health screenings were compared for any changes in health measures by student goal and participation. BMI decreased significantly in the group of participants who selected a weight loss goal, while those choosing to improve their nutrition significantly increased healthy cholesterol levels. A positive impact was seen on adolescent health outcomes through linking a high school STEM outreach program with a higher education institution to deliver STEM enrichment curriculum through social media.