The Gazel Cohort

The original GAZEL cohort was composed of 20,625 employees of the French national gas and electricity companies (15,011 male employees then aged 40 to 50 years and 5,614 women between 35 and 50 years old) at its inception in 1989.

Follow-up is continuous and includes data collection on health status, lifestyle, and socioeconomic and occupational factors from various sources. A postal questionnaire is sent to the participants each year, and data are extracted regularly from the files of the personnel and medical departments of EDF-GDF and from national registers. Participants were invited in 1999-2000, 2008 and 2011 to a health clinic where medical and biological data were collected.

The main focus of research in the past decade was devoted to the study of the persistent, long-term effects of occupational exposures after retirement; of the transition between professionally active life and retirement; and on determinants of early ageing. Accordingly, in addition to the health, behavioural and social data collected yearly since the beginning of the follow-up, new data were thus collected on cognitive complaints, cognitive and physical functioning, limitations in daily activities, time use and social relationships of retirees.

Last update – 20/06/2017

Types General population-based cohort
Participant Types No diagnosis
Countries France
Genders Male and Female
Sample sizes 20,000 to 49,999
Ages 20 to 39|40 to 59
Brain related measures Behaviour|Cognitive function|Mental health|Neurological
Funtional rating Individual psychological
Anthropometric Blood pressure|Height|Hip circumference|Waist circumference|Weight
Physical Cardiovascular|Musculoskeletal|Respiratory
Biological samples Blood
Genotyping Gene screening
Brain imaging
Brain banking Consent for brain donation
Lifestyle Alcohol|Dietary habits|Physical activity|Smoking
Socio-economic Education|Family circumstances|Housing and accommodation|Income and finances|Informal support|Marital status|Occupation and employment|Unpaid care
Health service utilisation Formal health and social care service utilisation including private care
Institute names Inserm UMS 11 – Population-Based Cohort Unit
Current Sample Sizes 20,000 to 49,999

age at recruitment 35-50
last updated
recruitment period 1989
estimated current sample size number value 17500
cohort acronym GAZEL
start date 1989
pi Professor Marcel Goldberg
website https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2258334/
contact details Paris Descartes Medical School – Paris, France
abstract  GAZEL is a longitudinal cohort which recruited 20,625 participants aged between 35 and 50 from French national gas and electricity companies. The health, social and economic wellbeing of participants has been measured since 1989.
funders  Electricite de France-Gaz de France
Caisse centrale d’action sociale du personnel des industries electrique et gaziere
contact email [email protected]
contact phone number +33177747428
estimated current sample size 10,000 to 19,999
sample sizes 20625