The BHS began in 1972 as an epidemiology study of cardiovascular risk factors in children and adolescents and eventually evolved into observations of young adults. Bogalusa, Louisiana, is a biracial (black/white) rural community 70 miles north of New Orleans, comparable to many other communities in southeastern United States. The Bogalusa dataset includes nearly 12,000 participants that attended at least one of seven cross-sectional pediatric exams and/or the 1995-96 adult examination. Approximately 65% of the study population is White, and 35% are Black. Subjects were ranged in age from 3 to 20 years at the pediatric exams and 20 to 37 at the time of the adult exam.