Danish Cohorts

The Diet, Cancer and Health (DCH) cohort

The Diet, Cancer and Health cohort (DCH) aimed at investigating the associations between dietary habits, lifestyle, and cancer development. The participants were recruited during 1993-1997, with 160,725 sent invitations. Potential participants were men and women born in Denmark, living in the greater Copenhagen or Aarhus areas, aged 50-64 years, and with no previous cancer diagnosis. In total 57,053 persons were enrolled into the cohort and completed a comprehensive self-administered, interviewer-checked questionnaire on diet, lifestyle (e.g. current and previous smoking habits, physical activity, alcohol intake), SES, and health upon study entry. Weight, height and waist circumference were measured and biological specimens, such as blood (DNA, plasma), urine, and adipose tissue, were collected.
This cohort has been the basis for more than 1000 scientific articles investigating the association between numerous exposures in relation to cancer and other diseases.

The Danish National Health Survey (DNHS) cohort
The DNHS cohort is based on a national survey conducted in 2010 and 2013, whee around 300,000 adults (≥16 years) were invited each year to participate by completing a detailed questionnaire on lifestyle and physical and mental health, using a mixed-mode (paper/web) approach. The participants were randomly selected from each of Denmark’s five administrative regions, along with a nationwide sample, resulting in six distinct and exclusive subsamples covering the entire country. Response proportions were 60% and 54% for 2010 and 2013, respectively, resulting in 339,922 respondents. This survey has also been conducted in 2017, 2021, and 2023.

Information for both cohorts could be linked to national administrative and health registries using unique personal identification numbers.”

Summary data table

To come…