BRFSS is a national on-going telephone survey of selfreported
health conducted yearly by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention [10]. Data were collected
over a 12 month period in 2009 for all states and
territories of the United States [10]. For this study, the
sample was restricted to respondents self-identified as
Hispanic. Identification of Hispanic subgroups by country
of ancestral descent is unavailable via BRFSS, but,
63 % of Hispanics nationwide identify as of Mexican
descent [10].
The CCHC, a prospective cohort study, began in 2004
and includes adults aged 18 years and older living in
Brownsville, TX, a low-economic midsize city along the
US-Mexico border with a population that is 93.2 %
Hispanic, with 86.2 % of Mexican descent [12]. Cohort
participants were recruited from randomly selected households
using a two-stage cluster systematic sampling
method. Participants received clinical examinations, answered
a behavioral health questionnaire, and had anthropometric
measures taken; a description of these has
been previously published elsewhere [11]. Surveys were
conducted in the participant’s preferred language (English
or Spanish) by trained bilingual staff. Data on tobacco use,
physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and alcohol
use were drawn from participants’ behavioral measures.
Participants of Mexican descent were identified by
ancestry variables when a participant, parent, or grandparent
indicated nativity in Mexico. The Committee for the
Protection of Human Subjects at the University of Texas
Health Science Center at Houston approved all protocols
and consent forms.