title: Rationale and Design of the Echocardiographic Study of Hispanics/Latinos (ECHO-SOL).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Information regarding the prevalence and determinants of cardiac structure and function (systolic and diastolic) among the various Hispanic background groups in the United States is limited.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Echocardiographic Study of Latinos (ECHO-SOL) ancillary study recruited 1,824 participants through a stratified-sampling process representative of the population-based Hispanic Communities Health Study - Study of Latinos (HCHS-SOL) across four sites (Bronx, NY; Chicago, Ill; San Diego, Calif; Miami, Fla). The HCHS-SOL baseline cohort did not include an echo exam. ECHO-SOL added the echocardiographic assessment of cardiac structure and function to an array of existing HCHS-SOL baseline clinical, psychosocial, and socioeconomic data and provides sufficient statistical power for comparisons among the Hispanic subgroups. Standard two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography protocol, including M-mode, spectral, color and tissue Doppler study was performed. The main objectives were to: 1) characterize cardiac structure and function and its determinants among Hispanics and Hispanic subgroups; and 2) determine the contributions of specific psychosocial factors (acculturation and familismo) to cardiac structure and function among Hispanics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We describe the design, methods and rationale of currently the largest and most comprehensive study of cardiac structure and function exclusively among US Hispanics. ECHO-SOL aims to enhance our understanding of Hispanic cardiovascular health as well as help untangle the relative importance of Hispanic subgroup heterogeneity and sociocultural factors on cardiac structure and function.
authors.forename: Carlos J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dharod
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.forename: Sanjiv J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hurwitz
authors.forename: Shrikant I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Bangdiwala
authors.forename: Franklyn
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Dalane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kitzman
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gillam
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spevack
authors.forename: Rupal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dadhania
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Langdon
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000208:ethnology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012107:Research Design; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult