The Family and Community Health Studies (FACHS) is a longitudinal examination of health and health related behaviors in African American families. The original study cohort consisted of 867 African American parent-child dyads from Georgia and Iowa who were ascertained in cooperation with local school districts. The key inclusion criteria for participating in the study were the presence of an adolescent in the 5th grade (approximately 10-11 years old) who self-identified as African American (i.e., the Target) and the participation of a primary caretaker (PC) for the Target. The clinical and biological data included in this collection are from the Target (i.e., FACHS-T) portion of these studies of these African American parent-child dyads. The initial wave of behavioral assessments of the FACHS-T subjects was conducted in 1997-98 (Wave 1), with seven subsequent ascertainments, Wave 2 (1999–2000), Wave 3 (2002–2003), Wave 4 (2005–2006), Wave 5 (2007–2009), Wave 6 (2010–2011), Wave 7 (2014–2016) and Wave 8 (2019-2021). Full interviews were obtained at each wave of the study with the exact content of the wave varying as a function of developmental age. These interviews of the FACHS-T subjects collected a wide variety of data including the following: perceived discrimination; socioeconomic status; substance use exposure; common internalizing and externalizing disorders such as depression, substance use, and conduct disorder; school efficacy; peer support and perceived parenting practices. Biological sampling of the FACHS-T subjects was conducted at three time points. Saliva DNA was collected at Wave 5 while full phlebotomy was conducted at Waves 7 and 8. The genome wide methylation data listed below is derived from the whole blood DNA samples collected at Wave 8 and Wave 9. The genome wide genotyping data was determined using DNA from the Wave 7 samples. The clinical and biological data available herein are those from 309 FACHS-T subjects who participated in both Wave 7 and Wave 8, and who consented for deposition of their data in dbGAP.

Contextual and Health Behavior Effects on Epigenetic Aging Among Africans in the Family and Community Health Studies

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