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KORA Study

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Datasets -
Variables -
Start Year
1984
Supplementary Information
The KORA Study is conducted by the Helmholtz Zentrum München (German Research Center for Environmental Health), Neuherberg, Germany.
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Members

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Investigators Contacts
  • Professor Barbara Thorand
    Helmholtz Zentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH)
  • Professor Annette Peters
    Helmholtz Zentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH)
  • Professor Barbara Thorand
    Helmholtz Zentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH)
  • Dr. Birgit Linkohr
    Helmholtz Zentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH)

Design

Study design
Cohort
Follow Up
At regular intervals the participants are invited to take part in follow-up surveys and examinations. General morbidity follow-up surveys are conducted in 1997/98, 2001/01, 2008/09, 2016, and 2021. The participants' vital status are ascertained through the population registries also in years 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2021.
Supplementary Information
Deaths, cardiovascular events and type 2 diabetes are followed up for the harmonized MORGAM data, see the detailed information on follow-up procedures in the MORGAM e-publication.

Marker Paper

Holle R, Happich M, Löwel H, Wichmann HE; MONICA/KORA Study Group. KORA--a research platform for population based health research. Gesundheitswesen. 2005 Aug;67 Suppl 1:S19-25. Review.

PUBMED 16032513

Recruitment

Sources of Recruitment
  • Individuals

Number of participants

Number of participants
18,000
Number of participants with biosamples
18,000

Data Access

Availability of data and biosamples

Data
Biosamples
Other

Sector of research

Data Biosamples
Investigators from the public sector
Investigators from the private sector
Investigators from not-for-profit organization

The use of the data and/or biosamples for commercial purposes shall be excluded.

Transfer

Data Biosamples
Can leave the study facility
Can leave the country

Description of the access procedures

KORA data and biosamples are available upon request by means of a project agreement subject to approval by the KORA Board. The application process to access data is described in the KORA Study website. Data variable lists can be downloaded and a proposal be submitted via the KORA.PASST tool (registration is needed).

For access to the harmonized MORGAM data from many MORGAM Centres, one should seek a collaboration with any of the Centre which can submit a publication proposal to the MORGAM/BiomarCaRE Steering Group.


Availability of access information

On the study website : https://helmholtz-muenchen.managed-otrs.com/ext...

By contacting the study representative

Yes
No
Not applicable
Don't know

Timeline

Populations

Selection Criteria
Minimum age
25
Maximum age
64
Countries
  • Germany
Territory
City of Augsburg and the less urban Landkreis Augsburg and Landkreis Aichach-Friedberg in Bavaria, Southern Germany.
Ethnic Origin
Health Status

Recruitment

Sources of recruitment
  • General population
General Population
  • Selected sample
Supplementary Information

Number of participants

Number of participants
4,022
Number of participants with biosamples
4,000
Supplementary Information
Response rate to the baseline survey was 79%
Data Collection Events
# Name Description Start End
0 KORA S1 Baseline Baseline examination (questionnaire and health examination). Information on sociodemographic variables, risk factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, etc.), medical history and ... 1984-10 1985-05
1 KORA S1 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU1 1997/98 Information about current health status, medical history for chronic diseases and drug use was collected throught the coronary heart diseases postal survey. Information on the vital status was ... 1997 1998
2 KORA S1 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU2 2001/02 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2001 2002
3 KORA S1 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU3 2008/09 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2008 2009
4 KORA S1 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU4 2016 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2016 2016
5 KORA S1 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU5 2021 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2021 2021
6 KORA S1 mortality and disease outcome follow-up in MORGAM data Follow-up for cardiovascular events, type 2 diabetes and death in the harmonized MORGAM data, see the end-points followed up in [MORGAM e-publication](https://www.thl.fi/publications/morgam/cohorts... 1984-10 2009-12
Selection Criteria
Minimum age
25
Maximum age
74
Countries
  • Germany
Territory
City of Augsburg and the less urban Landkreis Augsburg and Landkreis Aichach-Friedberg in Bavaria, Southern Germany.
Ethnic Origin
Health Status

Recruitment

Sources of recruitment
  • General population
General Population
  • Selected sample
Supplementary Information

Number of participants

Number of participants
4,940
Number of participants with biosamples
4,900
Supplementary Information
Response rate to the baseline survey was 76%.
Data Collection Events
# Name Description Start End
0 KORA S2 Baseline Baseline examination (questionnaire and health examination). Information on sociodemographic variables, risk factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, etc.), medical history and ... 1989-10 1990-06
1 KORA S2 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU1 1997/98 Information about current health status, medical history for chronic diseases and drug use was collected throught the coronary heart diseases postal survey. Information on the vital status was ... 1997 1998
2 KORA S2 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU2 2001/02 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2001 2002
3 KORA S2 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU3 2008/09 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2008 2009
4 KORA S2 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU4 2016 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2016 2016
5 KORA S2 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU5 2021 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2021 2021
6 KORA S2 mortality and disease outcome follow-up in MORGAM data Follow-up for cardiovascular events, type 2 diabetes and death in the harmonized MORGAM data, see the end-points followed up in [MORGAM e-publication](https://www.thl.fi/publications/morgam/cohorts... 1989-10 2009-12
Selection Criteria
Minimum age
25
Maximum age
74
Countries
  • Germany
Territory
City of Augsburg and the less urban Landkreis Augsburg and Landkreis Aichach-Friedberg in Bavaria, Southern Germany.
Ethnic Origin
Health Status

Recruitment

Sources of recruitment
  • General population
General Population
  • Selected sample
Supplementary Information

Number of participants

Number of participants
4,856
Number of participants with biosamples
4,800
Supplementary Information
In MORGAM data, the Cohort 03 have 3969 participants and Cohort 33 includes 210 respondents that were excluded from Cohort 03 because of the overlap with Cohorts 01 and 02. Response rate to the baseline survey was 74%.
Data Collection Events
# Name Description Start End
0 KORA S3 Baseline Baseline examination (questionnaire and health examination). Information on sociodemographic variables, risk factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, etc.), medical history and ... 1994-10 1995-07
1 KORA S3 follow-up examination F3

Re-examination (questionnaire and health examination) of the participants of the S3 survey. Information about cardiovacular diseases and risk factors was collected from a standardized computer ...

 2004 2005
2 KORA S3 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU1 1997/98 Information about current health status, medical history for chronic diseases and drug use was collected throught the coronary heart diseases postal survey. Information on the vital status was ... 1997 1998
3 KORA S3 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU2 2001/02 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2001 2002
4 KORA S3 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU3 2008/09 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2008 2009
5 KORA S3 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU4 2016 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2016 2016
6 KORA S3 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU5 2021 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2021 2021
7 KORA S3 mortality and disease outcome follow-up in MORGAM data Follow-up for cardiovascular events, type 2 diabetes and death in the harmonized MORGAM data, see the end-points followed up in [MORGAM e-publication](https://www.thl.fi/publications/morgam/cohorts... 1994-10 2009-12
Selection Criteria
Minimum age
25
Maximum age
74
Countries
  • Germany
Territory
City of Augsburg and the less urban Landkreis Augsburg and Landkreis Aichach-Friedberg in Bavaria, Southern Germany.
Ethnic Origin
Health Status

Recruitment

Sources of recruitment
  • General population
General Population
  • Selected sample
Supplementary Information

Number of participants

Number of participants
4,261
Number of participants with biosamples
4,200
Supplementary Information
In MORGAM data, the Cohort 24 includes 4156 participants and Cohort 34 includes 56 respondents that were excluded from Cohort 24 because of the overlap with Cohorts 01 and 02. Response rate to the baseline survey was 67%. The first re-examination was participated by 73% of the cohort.
Data Collection Events
# Name Description Start End
0 KORA S4 Baseline Baseline examination (questionnaire and health examination). The main focus of this study is to assess health indicators (morbidity, mortality) and health care (utilization, costs), quantify ... 1999-10 2001-04
1 KORA S4 follow-up examination F4

Re-examination (questionnaire and health examination) of the participants of the S4 survey. Information about diabetes, cardiovacular diseases and risk factors was collected.

A physical ...

 2006-10 2008-05
2 KORA S4 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU3 2008/09 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2008-06 2009
3 KORA S4 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU4 2016 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2016 2016
4 KORA S4 General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU5 2021 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2021 2021
5 KORA S4 second follow-up examination FF4 Second re-examination (questionnaire and health examination) of the participants of the S4 survey. Information about diabetes, cardiovacular diseases and risk factors was collected. A physical ... 2013 2014
6 KORA S4 mortality and disease outcome follow-up in MORGAM data Follow-up for cardiovascular events, type 2 diabetes and death in the harmonized MORGAM data, see the end-points followed up in [MORGAM e-publication](https://www.thl.fi/publications/morgam/cohorts... 1999-10 2009-12
Selection Criteria
Minimum age
65
Countries
  • Germany
Territory
City of Augsburg and the 2 neighboring districts of Augsburg and Aichach-Friedberg
Ethnic Origin
Health Status
Other criteria
Place of residence in the study region and German nationality

Recruitment

Sources of recruitment
  • Participants from existing studies
Supplementary Information
Participants from existing studies
  • KORA S1 Survey
  • KORA S2 Survey
  • KORA S3 Survey
  • KORA S4 Survey

Number of participants

Number of participants
4,127
Number of participants with biosamples
Supplementary Information
N=1079 in health examination. Participation rates ranged from 79% in S1 to 67% in S4.
Data Collection Events
# Name Description Start End
0 KORA-Age 1 Baseline questionnaire and health examination Postal questionnaire and telephone interview. Information were collected on self-assessment of the state of health, the occurrence of hypertension, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, fractures, ... 2008-11 2009-11
2 KORA-Age 2 re-examination The re-examination of the participants of the KORA-Age 1. Vital status of the KORA-Age participants was checked. 2012 2012
3 KORA-Age 3 telephone interview The telephone interview of the participants of the KORA-Age 1. Morbidity follow-up of the participants were performed and vital status of the KORA-Age participants was checked. 2016 2016
3 KORA-Age General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU5 2021 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2021 2021
Selection Criteria
Minimum age
55
Countries
  • Germany
Territory
City of Augsburg and surrounding counties
Ethnic Origin
Health Status
Other criteria
Born in 1945-1964

Recruitment

Sources of recruitment
  • Participants from existing studies
Participants from existing studies
  • KORA S1 Survey
  • KORA S2 Survey
  • KORA S3 Survey
  • KORA S4 Survey

Number of participants

Number of participants
3,059
Number of participants with biosamples
Supplementary Information
Of the 6731 participants at baseline of the S1-S4, 547 (8.1%) persons had died in the meantime, 919 (13.7%) lived outside the study region or were completely lost to follow-up, 471 (7.0%) had demanded deletion of their address data, and 46 (0.7%) withdrew consent. Of the remaining 4748 eligible persons, 365 could not be contacted, 394 were unable to take part because they were too ill or had no time, and 930 were not willing to participate in this follow-up.
Data Collection Events
# Name Description Start End
0 KORA-Fit Baseline questionnaire and health examination An interview, physical examination and a blood withdrawal was performed. Self-reported information on demographic variables age and sex, lifestyle factors including smoking, alcohol consumption, ... 2018-01 2019-06
1 KORA-Fit General morbidity follow-up survey, GEFU5 2021 A follow-up questionnaire was mailed to all participants. Validation of survival status of non-responders was completed by contacting the registration of address offices. Clinical outcomes were ... 2021 2021
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