The study was part of the initiative "Collaborative Projects (R01s) on Minority Health". The concept for the initiative was developed by the NHLBI staff after the 1993 Report of the Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives, encouraged the NHLBI to establish minority centers to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The initiative was approved at the September 1992 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Advisory Council and released in October 1992.