H3Africa AWI-Gen Collaborative Centre: a resource to study the interplay between genomic and environmental risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases in four sub-Saharan African countries

Abstract

Africa is experiencing a rapid increase in adult obesity and associated cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs). The H3Africa AWI-Gen Collaborative Centre was established to examine genomic and environmental factors that influence body composition, body fat distribution and CMD risk, with the aim to provide insights towards effective treatment and intervention strategies. It provides a research platform of over 10 500 participants, 40-60 years old, from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. Following a process that involved community engagement, training of project staff and participant informed consent, participants were administered detailed questionnaires, anthropometric measurements were taken and biospecimens collected. This generated a wealth of demographic, health history, environmental, behavioural and biomarker data. The H3Africa SNP array will be used for genome-wide association studies. AWI-Gen is building capacity to perform large epidemiological, genomic and epigenomic studies across several African counties and strives to become a valuable resource for research collaborations in Africa.

Keywords: AWI-Gen; H3Africa; NCD; body composition; cardiometabolic disease; diabetes; disease outcome; environmental risk factors; genomic studies; health transition; hypertension; non-communicable disease in Africa; obesity; stroke.

Fig. 1.

Map showing the locations of the catchment areas for the AWI-Gen study in Africa.

Fig. 2.

Complex interactions between the environment and behaviour, heritable factors and outcomes like anthropometry and biomarkers and their contribution to cardiometabolic endpoints are illustrated. These factors and interactions are further influenced by fixed non-modifiable factors including sex, age and ethnicity.

Fig. 3.

Characterisation of the AWI-Gen participants between the ages of 40 and 60 years showing sex distribution of participants as absolute numbers (A) and as a percentage (B) as recruited by each study center. Age distribution is shown for men (C) and women (D). Please note that participants outside the 40–60-year age range have not been included in the figures. The harmonisation with the HAALSI study at the Agincourt centre has resulted in the recruitment of additional participants over the age of 60 years.