Oral contraceptives, use of hormone replacement therapy, dietary habits and other lifestyle factors affect the risk for cancer, cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases in young women. Starting in 1991, a comprehensive questionnaire was mailed to 96,000 Swedish women aged 29-49 years. Approximately 50,000 completed questionnaires were returned providing detailed information on a wide range of lifestyle factors with a focus on oral contraceptive use, diet, UV light exposure, and reproductive factors. This study is strictly coordinated with a similar study among 60,000 young women in Norway; apart from the dietary component, the questionnaires are identical and joint analyses have been conducted.

In 2003, a second questionnaire was sent to all women to update information on lifestyle, and hormonal factors as well as to assess mental health. Currently analysis is ongoing for several lifestyle factors and cancers of the breast, ovarium, endometrial, colorectal, skin, skin melanoma, lymphomas, as well as cardiovascular outcomes (myocardial infarction, haemorragic and ischaemic stroke), psychiatric diseases, sleeping disorders and overall mortality.

Several analyses have been performed during the last years on different exposures, such as oral contraceptives, BMI, changes in body size and shape, UV radiation exposure, alcohol consumption, smoking, and risk of different cancer sites and overall mortality.

Purpose:

The overall aim of Women's lifestyle and health cohort is to examine lifestyle factors and health outcomes such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and some chronic diseases.

The baseline questionnaire was mailed to 96,000 Swedish women aged 29-49 years, in 1991. The questionnaire was answered by 49,259 women. Show less..

Data contains personal data

Method and outcome

Unit of analysis

Individual

Population

Swedish women aged 29-49 years.

Time Method

Longitudinal: Cohort/Event-based

Sampling procedure

Probability: Simple random

Time period(s) investigated

1991 – 1992

Number of individuals/objects

49259

Data format / data structure

Numeric

Data collection

Mode of collection: Self-administered questionnaire
Time period(s) for data collection: 1991 – 1992
Source of the data: Population group

Geographic coverage

Geographic spread

Geographic description: Uppsala healthcare region

Administrative information

Responsible department/unit

Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Topic and keywords

Research area

Medical and health sciences (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)

Public health, global health, social medicine and epidemiology (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)

Health (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Keywords

Psychiatry, Life style, Hormones, Women, Mortality, Neoplasms, Diet, Breast neoplasms, Cardiovascular diseases, Health, Contraceptives, oral, Disease, Sleep wake disorders, Chronic disease, Lifestyle factors, Questionnaire, Swedish cohort consortium (scc), Cohorts.se

Publications

Titus-Ernstoff L, Thörn M, Tosteson T, Brahme E, Yuen J, Baron J, et al. The accuracy of skin self-examination for atypical nevi.
Epidemiology 1996 Nov;7(6):619-23.

Link to publication list:

Publication list at the study website

If you have published anything based on these data, please notify us with a reference to your publication(s). If you are responsible for the catalogue entry, you can update the metadata/data description in DORIS.