The Tecumseh Community Health Study records collection consists of materials outlining the project planning and management of the study, the initial community survey, materials from rounds one through three of data collection, and later community surveys and follow-up studies. Records include conceptual documentation, organizational charts, questionnaires and forms, meeting minutes and agenda, reports, correspondence, budgets, and other study material. In addition to inquiries related to early medical diagnosis and treatment of many conditions, the collection documents an early example of large-scale project management and collaborative grant administration. The collection may also be of interest to researchers studying the history of survey research methodology, data management, and bio-statistical analysis techniques.
The Tecumseh Community Health Study is an ongoing prospective epidemiological study of a natural community's health and disease status, conducted through the University of Michigan's School of Public Health and focusing on the community of Tecumseh, Michigan. Originally conceived by Dr. Thomas Francis, Jr., the study began under the direction of Dr. Robert Horton, an epidemiologist from the University of Michigan's School of Public Health.
The purpose of the Tecumseh Community Health Study was to research the distribution of disease and disability in a natural community, and to develop, formulate, and conduct investigations into factors possibly related to the development of various chronic diseases, especially those involving the heart and circulation. The ultimate goal of the study was to gain further insight into methods for early detection, measures of susceptibility, preclinical disorders, and prevention. The study involved integrated investigations in the field, laboratory, and clinic in search of causative mechanisms and ecological interrelations. The target diseases investigated were primarily cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, hypertension, chronic respiratory disease, and rheumatic disorders.
The study examined the approximately 10,000 residents of Tecumseh, Michigan and explored the hypothesis that disease results from biological maladjustment, and therefore that the environment may strongly influence health and disease. The study also assumed that the familial aspect of disease occurrence is equally important. If either genetic or environmental factors are operative, those conducting the study believed that this would likely lead to aggregation of disease within families and kindreds since family members share their environment as well as their genetic background.
The study launched with a 1957 to 1958 canvass of all households in Tecumseh, and continued through two general surveillance studies of the Tecumseh community and three rounds, or "cycles," of data collection from 1959 to 1969. The terms "rounds" and "cycles" are used interchangeably in this collection, just as they were throughout the Tecumseh study. The two general surveillance studies, which took place in 1965 and 1966, were based upon the same concept as the original canvass of the Tecumseh community, and involved gathering data about the population and general health of the Tecumseh community as a whole, including any new residents who moved to the area during this period. The three rounds, or "cycles," of data collection involved studying specific health conditions and diseases within the Tecumseh community and gathering raw data to reflect this study. Round 1 (First Cycle) took place from 1959 to 1961, Round 2 (Second Cycle) was conducted from 1962 to 1965, and Round 3 (Third Cycle) lasted from 1967 to 1969. Each cycle focused on collecting data about various disorders within the Tecumseh community, including cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, hypertension, chronic respiratory disease, and rheumatic disorders.
All follow-up studies that took place after 1970 focused only on those residents who were included in the initial rounds of data collection during the 1960s. All information gleaned from the study came from data that was collected through baseline medical history interviews, medical examinations, clinical measurements, laboratory work, and electrocardiograms. The major variable groups involved in the study included demographic information, family history of major diseases, systematic review of present and past symptoms and conditions, smoking and drinking habits, physical examinations, measurements and laboratory work, and electrocardiogram results.
