Epidemiol Health 2017;39:e2017016

 

Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology

Research Center (CMERC) cohort: study protocol and

results of the first 3 years of enrollment

Jee-Seon Shim1,2, Bo Mi Song1,2, Jung Hyun Lee1,2, Seung Won Lee2,3, Ji Hye Park1,2,
Dong Phil Choi1,2, Myung Ha Lee2, Kyoung Hwa Ha4,5, Dae Jung Kim4,5, Sungha, Park6,
Won-Woo Lee7,8, Hyeon Chang Kim

 

Abstract

Although the etiologies of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are widely understood, the goal of finding a globally effective solution for preventing CVD is unrealistic. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a community-based prospective study on the prevention and management of CVD in Korean adults. This study was designed to recruit 8,000 healthy adults over the course of 5 years. The baseline assessment includes a wide range of established CVD risk factors, including demographic characteristics, medical history, health behaviors, psychological conditions, body size and composition, blood pressure, the augmentation index, carotid ultrasonography, an electrocardiogram, and biochemical indicators, as well as some novel factors, such as social network characteristics, exposure to environmental pollutants, inflammatory markers, hemostatic markers, and immunosenescence markers. Annual telephone interviews and follow-up health examinations at 5-year intervals after the baseline assessment are planned to collect information on changes in health status and its determinants. Additionally, indirect follow-up using secondary data sources will be conducted to obtain information on health services utilization and death. So far, more than 6,000 adults have been enrolled during the first three and a half years, and almost all participants have been tracked by annual telephone follow-up surveys. The data have been uploaded to iCReaT, the clinical research information management system of the Korea National Institute of Health.



KEY WORDS: Cardiovascular diseases, Metabolic diseases, Cohort studies, Korea