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The UH Cancer Center proudly celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Multiethnic Cohort ( MEC ) Study on September 15 . There were over 400 study participants , guests , speakers , researchers , staff and volunteers in attendance at the UH Cancer Center . The MEC Study is the most ethnically diverse epidemiologic study in the world that investigates the roles of lifestyle , diet , and genetics in cancer and other chronic diseases .
The MEC Study is being conducted to understand the differences in risk that exist for cancer and other chronic diseases among the main ethnic / racial groups living in Hawai ‘ i and California ,” said Loïc Le Marchand , MD , PhD , UH Cancer Center epidemiologist and principal investigator of the study .
The MEC Study , which started in 1993 , follows a group of individuals over time to see how the cohort members , who develop cancer or other health conditions , differed in various risk factors several years before diagnosis . At the start of the study , over 215,000 Hawai ‘ i and Los Angeles residents , aged 45 to 75 , were recruited when they completed a 26-page questionnaire about their dietary habits and lifestyle , as well as their medical history . Information about the participants is updated through follow-up questionnaires sent every five years . The cohort is comprised of men and women primarily of Japanese , Native Hawaiian , African American , Latino and Caucasian origin . Top : Unhee Lim , PhD , explains fndings from the Obesity and Cancer study .
Bottom : MEC Study participants display memorabilia from their 25th anniversary gift bags .
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