OVERVIEW OF CARRS

OVERVIEW

The Center for Cardiometabolic Risk Reduction in South Asia Study (CARRS) is a state-of-the-art, population-based cohort of South Asians to address existing and emerging questions related to cardio-metabolic disease.

Heart disease and diabetes are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. India and the South Asian region broadly are at the epicenter of the cardiometabolic diseases epidemic.

The CARRS Cohort follows a diverse population-based sample of more than 20,000 South Asian adults age ≥ 20 years, with ongoing follow-up for clinical cardiovascular risk factors, clinical disease, and mortality. The cohort was recruited in two waves, CARRS-1 in 2010-11 and CARRS-2 in 2015-16, and has high retention rates (70-85% annual follow-up, 88% hybrid tele/in-person attendance even during COVID, and >95% have at least one follow-up or death in 10 years of follow up) with a biorepository of 360,000 stored samples.

EXPANSION OF CARRS

  • Integrative ‘omics analyses

  • Wearable technologies (??)

  • Lab measurements

  • Wearable technologies (??)

Since its inception, data collection in CARRS has included questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, and biospecimen collection.

As the study continues to broaden its scope, additional measurements (noted below) have been integrated into both recent and upcoming data collection phases.

[Precision-CARRS]

Aims to transform the current cardiovascular disease risk prediction model to a more personalized, precise approach that enables early detection.

[CARRS Brain]

Aims to characterize midlife cognitive impairment and identify risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in participants aged 40 and above.

[CARRS Diabetes Omics]

Aims to examine genomic and metabolomic markers linked to prediabetes, T2D phenotypes, and glycemic progression in South Asians.

  • Specialized CVD imaging

  • Ambient air pollution measurements

  • Neurocognitive function

  • Brain imaging

  • Retinal imaging

  • Xxxx

STRENGTHS

  • Recruitment of adults ages 20 years and older, to understand the development of cardiometabolic risk at different life stages

  • Scientifically informative and distinctive distribution of exposures (e.g., ambient air pollution, body mass index) relative to other global cohorts

  • Reliable data on events and causes of death, which are the cornerstone for building a solid evidence base for health policy, planning, monitoring and evaluation

  • Recruitment of adults ages 20 years and older, to understand the development of cardiometabolic risk at different life stages

  • Scientifically informative and distinctive distribution of exposures (e.g., ambient air pollution, body mass index) relative to other global cohorts

  • Reliable data on events and causes of death, which are the cornerstone for building a solid evidence base for health policy, planning, monitoring and evaluation

  • Recruitment of adults ages 20 years and older, to understand the development of cardiometabolic risk at different life stages

  • Scientifically informative and distinctive distribution of exposures (e.g., ambient air pollution, body mass index) relative to other global cohorts

  • Reliable data on events and causes of death, which are the cornerstone for building a solid evidence base for health policy, planning, monitoring and evaluation

SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBUTION

100+

abstracts presented at international conferences

61

peer-reviewed publications

CARRS_Illustrations_Scientific Contribution.png

Wide dissemination
through the lay press

TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING

CARRS_Illustrations_Training Capacity 1.png

High impact investment in bidirectional (India-US) research capacity building

80+

More than 80 junior
investigators trained

CARRS_Illustrations_Training Capacity 2.png

Several institutional training grants connected to the cohort

POLICY IMPACT

  • Generating evidence for policy to improve health

  • Contributing to large, pooled studies of health in low- and middle-income countries (e.g., Global Burden of Disease study, the International Diabetes Federation’s Diabetes Atlas)

  • Engaging a variety of stakeholders in community and policy spheres

  • Informing prevention and disease management interventions to improve population health