Data for population-based health analytics: the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean

Objective. We describe the daily operations of the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean (CC-LAC), detailing the resources required and offering tips to Caribbean researchers so this guide can be used to start a data pooling project. Methods. The CC-LAC began by developing a steering...

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Main Authors: Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco, Ian R. Hambleton
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pan American Health Organization 2024-12-01
Series:Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública
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Online Access:https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/62766
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author Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco
Ian R. Hambleton
author_facet Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco
Ian R. Hambleton
author_sort Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco
collection DOAJ
description Objective. We describe the daily operations of the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean (CC-LAC), detailing the resources required and offering tips to Caribbean researchers so this guide can be used to start a data pooling project. Methods. The CC-LAC began by developing a steering committee – that is, a team of regional experts who guided the project’s set up and operations. The Consortium invites investigators who agree to share individual-level data about topics of interest to become members and they then have input into the project’s goals and operations; they are also invited to coauthor papers. We used a systematic review methodology to identify investigators with data resources aligned with the project and developed a protocol (i.e. a manual of procedures) to document all aspects of the project’s operations. Results. If a study recruited people from more than one country, then the sample from each country was counted as a separate cohort, thus in 2024 our combined data resources include >30 separate units from 13 countries, with a combined sample size of >174 000 participants. Using this unique resource, we have produced region-specific risk estimates for cardiometabolic risk factors (e.g. anthropometrics) and cardiovascular disease, and we have developed a region-specific cardiovascular risk score for use in clinical settings. Conclusions. Data pooling projects are less expensive than collecting new data, and they increase the longer-term value and impact of the data that are contributed. Data pooling efforts require systematic and transparent methodology, and expertise in data handling and analytics are prerequisites. Researchers embarking on a data pooling endeavor should understand and be able to meet the various data protection standards stipulated by national data legislation as these standards will likely vary among jurisdictions.
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spelling doaj-art-487b281bc59d494693265741ca1dbba22025-08-20T02:49:16ZengPan American Health OrganizationRevista Panamericana de Salud Pública1020-49891680-53482024-12-01485911010.26633/RPSP.2024.59rpspData for population-based health analytics: the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the CaribbeanRodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco0Ian R. Hambleton1Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States of AmericaThe University of the West Indies at Cave Hill, Bridgetown, Saint Michael, BarbadosObjective. We describe the daily operations of the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean (CC-LAC), detailing the resources required and offering tips to Caribbean researchers so this guide can be used to start a data pooling project. Methods. The CC-LAC began by developing a steering committee – that is, a team of regional experts who guided the project’s set up and operations. The Consortium invites investigators who agree to share individual-level data about topics of interest to become members and they then have input into the project’s goals and operations; they are also invited to coauthor papers. We used a systematic review methodology to identify investigators with data resources aligned with the project and developed a protocol (i.e. a manual of procedures) to document all aspects of the project’s operations. Results. If a study recruited people from more than one country, then the sample from each country was counted as a separate cohort, thus in 2024 our combined data resources include >30 separate units from 13 countries, with a combined sample size of >174 000 participants. Using this unique resource, we have produced region-specific risk estimates for cardiometabolic risk factors (e.g. anthropometrics) and cardiovascular disease, and we have developed a region-specific cardiovascular risk score for use in clinical settings. Conclusions. Data pooling projects are less expensive than collecting new data, and they increase the longer-term value and impact of the data that are contributed. Data pooling efforts require systematic and transparent methodology, and expertise in data handling and analytics are prerequisites. Researchers embarking on a data pooling endeavor should understand and be able to meet the various data protection standards stipulated by national data legislation as these standards will likely vary among jurisdictions.https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/62766datasetdata poolingbig datadata scienceepidemiology
spellingShingle Rodrigo M. Carrillo-Larco
Ian R. Hambleton
Data for population-based health analytics: the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean
Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública
dataset
data pooling
big data
data science
epidemiology
title Data for population-based health analytics: the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean
title_full Data for population-based health analytics: the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean
title_fullStr Data for population-based health analytics: the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean
title_full_unstemmed Data for population-based health analytics: the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean
title_short Data for population-based health analytics: the Cohorts Consortium of Latin America and the Caribbean
title_sort data for population based health analytics the cohorts consortium of latin america and the caribbean
topic dataset
data pooling
big data
data science
epidemiology
url https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/62766
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