Nurses’ Health Study I

The Nurses’ Health Study is a longitudinal population study aimed initially to examine the relation between the use of oral contraceptives, cigarette smoking, and risk of major illnesses in women, mainly cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Since then, the study broadened to include the evaluation of health consequences of many lifestyle practices, including diet, physical activity, and specific forms of hormone therapy.

The participants are registered nurses, aged 30 to 55 years and married at the time of recruitment in 1976, and who lived in the 11 most populous states (California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas).

Types General population-based cohort
Participant Types No diagnosis
Countries USA
Genders Female
Sample sizes 100,000 to 499,999
Ages 20 to 39|40 to 59
Brain related measures
Funtional rating Individual physiological|Individual psychological
Anthropometric Blood pressure|Height|Hip circumference|Waist circumference|Weight
Physical Cardiovascular|Hearing and Vision|Musculoskeletal|Reproductive|Respiratory
Biological samples Blood|Saliva|Urine
Genotyping
Brain imaging
Brain banking
Lifestyle Alcohol|Dietary habits|Physical activity|Smoking
Socio-economic Education|Ethnic group|Family circumstances|Housing and accommodation|Income and finances|Informal support|Martial status|Occupation and employment|Unpaid care
Health service utilisation Formal health and social care service utilisation including private care
Institute names Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Current Sample Sizes 100,000 to 499,999

age at recruitment 30-55
last updated
recruitment period 1976
estimated current sample size number value 70,000
cohort acronym NHS1
start date 1976
pi Francine Grodstein and Meir Stampfer
website http://www.nurseshealthstudy.org/
contact details Nurses’ Health Study
Channing Division of Network Medicine
181 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
abstract  The Nurses’ Health Study is a longitudinal population study aimed initially to examine the relation between the use of oral contraceptives, cigarette smoking, and risk of major illnesses in women, mainly cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
funders  National Institute of Health (NIH), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Breast Cancer Foundation
contact email [email protected] PI email: [email protected]; [email protected]
contact phone number 617-525-2279
estimated current sample size 50,000 to 99,999
sample sizes 121,700