Institution administering the collaborative project:

University of Melbourne

Project Investigators:

Kevin Rowley, James Best, Ian Anderson, Alicia Jenkins (University of Melbourne), Robyn McDermott (James Cook University)

Project Manager:

Kevin Rowley (University of Melbourne)

MSHR Collaborators:

Kerin O’Dea, Alex Brown, Jo Fitz, Iris Roberts, Stacey Svenson

Overview of MSHR involvement in project:

The primary aims of the Central Australian component of the collaborative project are to assess the utility of conventional risk factors in predicting coronary heart disease (CHD) outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cohorts; to determine the importance of insulin resistance and its associated metabolic abnormalities in prediction of CHD in these cohorts; and to develop educational materials and clinical tools based on this information for use in the prevention of CHD in Indigenous communities. The Central Australian activities relate to the development of methodologies and collection of retrospective longitudinal data in the decade since baseline screening was conducted in over 1000 Indigenous people from a number of communities. Primary outcomes of interest include all-cause mortality, cardiovascular events and mortality, diabetes related service interaction, hospitalisations, morbidity and mortality and the development of renal failure and renal deaths. Secondary outcomes include preventative heath service delivery and pharmacological management of CHD and associated conditions.

Funding Body:

NHMRC 299852

Project Dates:

2004 – 2006