title: The Sangre Por Salud Biobank: Facilitating Genetic Research in an Underrepresented Latino Community.
abstract: The Sangre Por Salud (Blood for Health; SPS) Biobank was created for the purpose of expanding precision medicine research to include underrepresented Latino patients. It is the result of a unique collaboration between Mayo Clinic and Mountain Park Health Center, a federally qualified community health center in Phoenix, Arizona. This report describes the rationale, development, implementation, and characteristics of the SPS Biobank.
  
  
  
  Latino adults (ages 18-85 years) who were active patients within Mountain Park Health Center's internal medicine practice in Phoenix, Ariz., and had no history of diabetes were eligible. Participants provided a personal and family history of chronic disease, completed a sociodemographic, psychosocial, and behavioral questionnaire, underwent a comprehensive cardiometabolic risk assessment (anthropometrics, blood pressure and labs), and provided blood samples for banking. Laboratory results of cardiometabolic testing were returned to the participants and their providers through the electronic health record.
  
  
  
  During the first 2 years of recruitment into the SPS Biobank, 2,335 patients were approached and 1,432 (61.3%) consented to participate; 1,354 (94.5%) ultimately completed all requisite questionnaires and medical evaluations. The cohort is primarily Spanish-speaking (72.9%), female (73.3%), with a mean age of 41.3 ± 12.5 years. Most participants were born outside of the US (77.9%) and do not have health insurance (77.5%). The prevalence of overweight (35.5%) and obesity (45.0%) was high, as was previously unidentified prediabetes (55.9%), type 2 diabetes (7.4%), prehypertension (46.8%), and hypertension (16.2%). The majority of participants rated their health as good to excellent (72.1%) and, as a whole, described their overall quality of life as high (7.9/10).
  
  
  
  Collaborative efforts such as the SPS Biobank are critical for ensuring that underrepresented minority populations are included in precision medicine initiatives and biomedical research that seeks to improve human health and reduce the burdens of disease.
authors.affiliation: Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Ariz., USA.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shaibi
authors.forename: Davinder
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Eleanna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Filippis
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.forename: Bill
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
authors.forename: Essen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Otu
authors.forename: Gregorio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Montes de Oca
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levey
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Radecki Breitkopf
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cerhan
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thibodeau
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mandarino
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001130:Arizona; D018070:Biological Specimen Banks / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D036281:Genetic Research; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D057285:Precision Medicine / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D055815:Young Adult