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Southern Community Cohort Study - the Gut Microbiome Project

The Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS) is an ongoing prospective cohort study, with the aim to investigate risk factors of cancer and other chronic diseases across 12 southeastern U.S. states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Approximately 86,000 adults, two-thirds Black people, between 40 and 79 years of age were enrolled from 2002 to 2009. Approximately 86% of the participants were recruited from community health centers (CHCs) and institutions providing basic health care and preventative services in underserved areas, so the cohort encompassed a substantial number of individuals characterized by low income, low education, and lack of insurance. The remaining 14% of cohort participants were recruited through mail-based general population sampling. Sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle factors including tobacco exposure and alcohol consumption, and personal medical history were collected at cohort enrollment. Data collection methods varied by recruitment source: CHC participants completed standardized computer-assisted personal interviews, while individuals from the general population responded to self-administered mailed questionnaires. The SCCS Biospecimen Repository includes blood samples from ~40,000, mouth cells from 39,000, urines from 24,000, stool specimens from 8,000 participants, and tumor blocks from incident cancer cases.

This microbiome study nested within SCCS included 594 Black participants whose stool samples were analyzed using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. We investigated associations between the gut microbiome and several physical activity measures.