Table 1.

Measurement methods in Me-Can cohorts

	Norway				Austria	Sweden
Variable	Oslo	NCS	CONOR	40-year	VHM&PP	VIP	MPP
Height	No shoes	No shoes	No shoes	No shoes	No shoes	No shoes	No shoes
Weight	Light clothes	Light clothes	Light clothes	Light clothes	Light clothes	Light clothes	Light clothes
Blood pressure
Number of  measurements	2a	2a,b	3a	3a	1	1	1–2 (mean value was recorded)
Rest before  measurement	4 min, 1 min between each measurement	4 min, 1 min between each measurementb	2 min, 1 min between each measurement	2 min, 1 min between each measurement	5 min	5 min	10 min
Position	Sitting	Sitting	Sitting	Sitting	Sitting	Supine	Supine
Instrument	Mercury sphygmanometer	Mercury sphygmanometer	Automatic device	Automatic device	Mercury sphygmanometer	Mercury sphygmanometer	Mercury sphygmanometer
Fasting status before measurement	Non-fasting	Non-fasting	Non-fasting	Non-fasting	Fasting from 1988	Fasting from 1992	Fasting
Glucose
Substance	Serum	Serum	Serum	Serum	Plasma	Plasma	Whole blood
Method	Non-enzymaticc	Non-enzymaticc	Enzymaticc	Enzymaticc	Enzymatic	Enzymatic	Enzymatic
Cholesterol and triglycerides
Substance	Serum	Serum	Serum	Serum	Serum	Serum	Serum
Method	Non-enzymaticd	Non-enzymatic Enzymatic from year 1980d	Enzymaticd	Enzymaticd	Enzymatic	Enzymatic	Enzymatic

^aIn accordance with previous studies in Norway,^10,17 the second blood pressure out of two measurements is used in Me-Can studies, and the mean value of the second and third measurement is used if three measurements were recorded.

^bFrom 1985, i.e. the third screening in the NCS, blood pressure was measured as described for the CONOR and 40-year cohort.

^cLevels from the non-enzymatic method yielded 0.8–1.1 mmol/l higher levels than the enzymatic method.

^dLevels from the non-enzymatic method have been compared with the enzymatic method^18,19 and accordingly, levels measured with the non-enzymatic method have been transformed according to formulas: 0.92 (cholesterol level) + 0.03, and 0.90 (triglyceride level)–0.11.