The C8 health project: design, methods, and participants.

Background: The C8 Health Project was created, authorized, and funded as part of the settlement agreement reached in the case of Jack W. Leach, et al. v.

Geographic disparities in heart disease and stroke mortality among black and white populations in the Appalachian region.

In this paper, we examine geographic and racial/ethnic differences in heart disease and stroke mortality in the Appalachian region. Initial comparisons are made between national rates for heart disease and stroke mortality and those for the Appalachian region. County-level analyses were performed to examine the relative mortality experience of populations in Appalachian counties compared to other counties in the United States and to assess the degree of geographic disparity in mortality from heart disease and stroke among these race/ethnic and gender groups within Appalachia.