Table 1.

Description of included studies and study sampling methods

Country	Region(s)/Cities	Study	Age Range	Sampling Frame	Sample Selection	Response (%)	Representativenessb
Finland	All	FINRISK	25–74	Population register	Age and sex stratified sample	70	Yes
France	Bordeaux, Dijon and Montpellier	Three City	65+	Electoral rolls	Random sample of noninstitutionalized individuals	37	Yes
	Lille, Bas-Rhin and Haute-Garonne	MONALISA	35–74	Electoral rolls	Age and sex stratified random sample	51	Yes
Germany	South	ActiFE	65–91	Population register	Age and sex stratified random sample of noninstitutionalized individuals	20	Yes
	Southwest	ESTHER	50–74	General practitioners lists	Recruitment during biannually health examination for older adults	Not given	Yesc
	Northeast	SHIP	20–79	Population registers	Two stages:	69	Yes
					(1) Stratification based on N. of residents per municipality
					(2) Age and sex stratified random sample selection per community
Ireland	All	SLAN	45+	Postal residential lists	Age and urban/rural location and social class stratified sample	66	Yesd
Italy	Northeast	INCIPE	40+	General practitioners lists	Random selection of participants from 62 random selected practices	62	Yes
	Central	MATISS	20–79	Electoral rolls	Age and sex stratified random sample of four municipalities	60	Yes
	South	VIP	25–74	Electoral rolls	Age and sex stratified random sample	72	Yes
Netherlands	North	LifeLines	20+	General practitioners lists	Two stages:	Not given	Yes
					(1) All subjects aged 25–50 years registered with general practitionera
					(2) Family members of first sample
	Groningen	PREVEND	28–75	Population register	Three stages:	48	Yes
					(1) All inhabitants of city
					(2) Selection of subjects based on albuminuria level
					(3) Correction for oversampling of albuminuria
Norway	Central	HUNT	20+	Census data	All residents in region	71	Yes
Poland	All	PolSenior	65+	Population register	Three stages:	42	Yes
					(1) Stratification based on N. of residents per municipality
					(2) Stratification based on streets/towns
					(3) Age stratified random sample
Portugal	All	PREVADIAB	20–79	Universal health card (held by 99% of population)	Two stages:	84	Yesd
					(1) Age and sex stratified sample
					(2) Correction for unintentional oversampling of elderly females
Spain	All	EPIRCE	20+	Census data	Age and sex and habitat stratified random sample	43	Yes
Sweden	Uppsala	PIVUS	70–70	Population register	Random selection of all (70-year-old) residents	50	n/a
Switzerland	Southwest	Bus Santé	35–74	Population register	Age and sex stratified sample	62	Yese
UK	All	MRC	75+	General practitioners lists	Patients registered in a representative sample of general practices	73	Yes

Study acronyms: FINRISK, Finland Cardiovascular Risk Study; MONALISA, MOnitoring NAtionaL du rISque Arteriel; ActiFE Ulm, Activity and Function in the Elderly in Ulm study; ESTHER, Epidemiologische Studie zu Chancen der Verhütung, Früherkennung und optimierten THerapie chronische ERkrankungen in der älteren Bevolkerung; SHIP, Study of Health in Pomeranzia; SLAN, Survey of Lifestyle and Attitudes & Nutrition in Ireland; INCIPE, Initiative on Nephropathy, of relevance to public health, which is Chronic, possibly in its Initial stages, and carries a Potential risk of major clinical Endpoints; MATISS, Malattie cardiovascolari ATerosclerotiche Istituto Superiore di Sanita; VIP, Valle dell’Irno Prevenzione; LifeLines, LifeLines Cohort and Study Biobank; PREVEND, Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-stage Disease; HUNT, Nord-Trøndelag Health Study; PolSenior, Medical, psychologic, sociological and economical aspects of aging of people in Poland; PREVADIAB, Prevalence of Diabetes and Risk Factors in Portugal; EPIRCE, Estudio Epidemiológico de la Insuficiencia Renal en España; PIVUS, Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors Study; MRC, Medical Research Council trial of assessment and management of older people in the community.

^aLifeLines additionally included participants which actively volunteered to participate; however, the vast majority of the LifeLines cohort presented in this paper was recruited through their general practitioner.

^bRepresentative = age and sex distribution of the study sample is nonsignificantly different from regional/national age and sex distribution.

^cUnder sampling of males in age group 55–59 years, the remaining age ranges were nonsignificantly different from Saarland population of 2000.

^dAfter the study population was weighted to census data, there was no significant difference.

^eUnder sampling of age group 35–39 years, the remaining age ranges were nonsignificantly different from the Geneva population of 2005.