Welcome to Women's lifestyle and health
Project leader: Elisabete Weiderpass Vainio,
University Lector in Medical Epidemiology
and Docent in Cancer Epidemiology, MEB, KI;
Professor in Cancer Epidemioloy at Tromso
University, Norway
Project description
Oral contraceptives, use of hormone replacement therapy, dietary habits and other lifestyle factors affect the risk for cancer, cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases in young women. Starting in 1991, a comprehensive questionnaire was mailed to 96,000 Swedish women aged 30-49 years. Approximately 50,000 completed questionnaires were returned providing detailed information on a wide range of lifestyle factors with a focus on oral contraceptive use, diet, UV light exposure, reproductive factors and familial occurrence of cancer. This study is strictly coordinated with a similar study among 60,000 young women in Norway; apart from the dietary component, the questionnaires are identical and joint analyses are planned. In 2003 a second questionnaire was sent to all women to update information on lifestyle changes as well as to access psychiatric morbidity. Currently analysis is ongoing for several lifestyle factors and cancers of the breast, ovarium, endometrial, colorectal, skin, skin melanoma, lymphomas, as well as cardiovascular outcomes (myocardial infarction, haemorragic and ischaemic stroke), psychiatric diseases, sleeping disorders and overall mortality.
