Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the participants from 16 prospective cohort studies*
| Country | Baseline year | Number of participants | Number of women | Age (years) | BMI (kg/m2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACL12 | USA | 1986 | 1080 | 706 (65%) | 52·1 (11·9), 35–96 | 26·3 (4·8) |
| ACS13 | USA | 1973–1974 | 1990 | 1095 (55%) | 48·2 (8·9), 35–103 | 24·3 (3·7) |
| ELSA14 | UK | 2004–2005 | 4165 | 2392 (57%) | 64·5 (8·8), 35–90 | 27·8 (4·8) |
| FPS21 | Finland | 2000 | 37 797 | 30 628 (81%) | 47·6 (7·0), 35–65 | 25·2 (4·0) |
| GAZEL22 | France | 1997 | 10 591 | 2992 (28%) | 50·2 (3·0), 43–58 | 25·3 (3·4) |
| HALS15 | UK | 1984–1985 | 2963 | 1668 (56%) | 51·3 (11·9), 35–97 | 25·1 (4·0) |
| HeSSup23 | Finland | 1998 | 11 246 | 6464 (57%) | 47·0 (5·1), 40–54 | 25·5 (4·0) |
| HRS16 | USA | 1993–1994 | 6337 | 4050 (64%) | 57·9 (7·4), 35–103 | 26·7 (4·6) |
| MIDUS17 | USA | 1995–1996 | 2610 | 1429 (55%) | 50·3 (10·2), 35–75 | 26·7 (5·0) |
| SHARE18 | Europe | 2004–2006 | 9808 | 5777 (59%) | 61·6 (8·7), 35–103 | 26·0 (4·1) |
| UKHLS19 | UK | 2012 | 9401 | 5339 (57%) | 56·7 (13·1), 35–102 | 28·2 (5·1) |
| Whitehall II24 | UK | 1991–1994 | 7477 | 2288 (31%) | 49·4 (6·0), 39–63 | 25·2 (3·7) |
| WLSG20 | USA | 1992–1994 | 5336 | 2906 (54%) | 53·7 (0·7), 52–57 | 26·5 (4·3) |
| WLSS20 | USA | 1992–1994 | 2626 | 1423 (54%) | 52·1 (6·8), 35–76 | 26·5 (4·5) |
| WOLF-N25 | Sweden | 1996–1998 | 3540 | 618 (17%) | 48·0 (7·5), 35–65 | 26·4 (3·6) |
| WOLF-S26 | Sweden | 1992–1995 | 3846 | 1670 (43%) | 47·3 (7·4), 35–69 | 25·1 (3·6) |
Data are n; n (%); or mean (SD), range.
In alphabetical order. ACL=the Americans' Changing Lives Study. ACS=the Alameda County Study. ELSA=the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. FPS=the Finnish Public Sector Study. GAZEL=a cohort study of Électricité de France-Gaz de France employees. HALS=the British Health and Lifestyle Survey. HeSSup=the Health and Social Support Cohort Study. HRS=the Health and Retirement Study. MIDUS=the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. SHARE=the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Israel. UKHLS=the United Kingdom Household Panel Survey. Whitehall II=the Whitehall II Study. WLSG=the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, graduate sample. WLSS=the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, sibling sample. WOLF-N=the Work, Lipids and Fibrinogen Study, Norland. WOLF-S=the Work, Lipids and Fibrinogen Study, Stockholm.