The COMPASS Study

The Chicago Multiethnic Prevention And Surveillance Study (COMPASS) is a long-term research program that looks at the impact of factors such as lifestyle, healthcare access, the environment, and genetics on the health of Chicagoans. This longitudinal cohort study currently has over 6,000 participants throughout the city, with a long-term goal of 100,000 participants.

In particular, it is known that certain racial or population sub-groups have higher rates of occurrence or severity of cancer and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular, and respiratory illnesses. In Chicago, this disparity is often worse than in other parts of the United States. COMPASS seeks to understand why this is the case, and how the health of Chicagoans is shaped by where they live.

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