ONE OF THE LARGEST STUDIES OF ITS KIND , AND THE MOST ETHNICALLY DIVERSE .
Loic Le Marchand , principal investigator of the Multiethnic Cohort Study , checks on the liquid nitrogen freezer containing blood samples from participants .
MULTIETHNIC COHORT STUDY OF LIFESTYLE , DIET AND CANCER ( MEC )
The MEC Study is a prospective epidemiological study in which 215,000 Hawai ‘ i and Los Angeles residents , age 45-75 at recruitment in 1993-1996 , completed a questionnaire about their dietar y habits and lifestyle .
The cohort is comprised of men and women primarily of Japanese , Native Hawaiian , African American , Latino and Caucasian origin .
The participants are being followed for occurrence of cancer , other chronic diseases and death .
The MEC Study is being conducted to fnd the best approach to achieving a health-promoting diet , and decreasing cancer risk in Hawai ‘ i and across the nation .
The MEC Study is jointly conducted by the UH Cancer Center and the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles .
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