Cohort profile: LIFEWORK, a prospective cohort study on occupational and environmental risk factors and health in the Netherlands

Marije Reedijk; Virissa Lenters; Pauline Slottje; Anouk Pijpe; Petra H Peeters; Joke C Korevaar; Bas Bueno-De-Mesquita; W M Monique Verschuren; Robert A Verheij; Inka Pieterson; Flora E Van Leeuwen; Matti A Rookus; Hans Kromhout; Roel C H Vermeulen

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018504

Cohort profile: LIFEWORK, a prospective cohort study on occupational and environmental risk factors and health in the Netherlands

Marije Reedijk, Virissa Lenters, Pauline Slottje, Anouk Pijpe, Petra H Peeters, Joke C Korevaar, Bas Bueno-De-Mesquita, W M Monique Verschuren, Robert A Verheij, Inka Pieterson, Flora E Van Leeuwen, Matti A Rookus, Hans Kromhout, Roel C H Vermeulen

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

LIFEWORK is a large federated prospective cohort established in the Netherlands to quantify the health effects of occupational and environmental exposures. This cohort is also the Dutch contribution to the international Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health (COSMOS). In this paper, we describe the study design, ongoing data collection, baseline characteristics of participants and the repeatability of key questionnaire items. Participants 88 466 participants were enrolled in three cohort studies in 2011-2012. Exposure information was collected by a harmonised core questionnaire, or modelled based on occupational and residential histories; domains include air pollution (eg, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), particulate matter with diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM 2.5)), noise, electromagnetic fields (EMF), mobile phone use, shift work and occupational chemical exposures. Chronic and subacute health outcomes are assessed by self-report and through linkage with health registries. Findings to date Participants had a median age of 51 years at baseline (range 19-87), and the majority are female (90%), with nurses being over-represented. Median exposure levels of NO 2, PM 2.5, EMF from base stations and noise at the participants' home addresses at baseline were 22.9 μg/m 3, 16.6 μg/m 3, 0.003 mWm 2 and 53.1 dB, respectively. Twenty-two per cent of participants reported to have started using a mobile phone more than 10 years prior to baseline. Repeatability for self-reported exposures was moderate to high (weighted kappa range: 0.69-1) for a subset of participants (n=237) who completed the questionnaire twice. Future plans We are actively and passively observing participants; we plan to administer a follow-up questionnaire every 4-5 years - the first follow-up will be completed in 2018 - and linkage to cause-of-death and cancer registries occurs on a (bi)annual basis. This prospective cohort offers a unique, large and rich resource for research on contemporary occupational and environmental health risks and will contribute to the large international COSMOS study on mobile phone use and health.

Original language	English
Article number	e018504
Journal	BMJ Open
Volume	8
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018504
Publication status	Published - 1 Feb 2018
Externally published	Yes

Funding

Funding This research was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) within the Electromagnetic Fields and Health Research programme (grant numbers 85200001 and 85500003), the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Netherlands Cancer Institute. The EPIC-NL study was funded by ‘Europe against Cancer’ Programme of the European Commission (DG SANCO); the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS); the ZonMw; and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). ESCAPE received funding from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2011) under grant agreement number 211250.

Funders	Funder number
European Community’s Seventh Framework Program
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment
Netherlands Cancer Institute
Seventh Framework Programme	211250
World Cancer Research Fund
European Commission
ZonMw	85200001, 85500003
Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport
Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu

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Reedijk, M., Lenters, V., Slottje, P., Pijpe, A., Peeters, P. H., Korevaar, J. C., Bueno-De-Mesquita, B., Verschuren, W. M. M., Verheij, R. A., Pieterson, I., Van Leeuwen, F. E., Rookus, M. A., Kromhout, H., & Vermeulen, R. C. H. (2018). Cohort profile: LIFEWORK, a prospective cohort study on occupational and environmental risk factors and health in the Netherlands. BMJ Open, 8(2), Article e018504. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018504

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title = "Cohort profile: LIFEWORK, a prospective cohort study on occupational and environmental risk factors and health in the Netherlands",

abstract = "LIFEWORK is a large federated prospective cohort established in the Netherlands to quantify the health effects of occupational and environmental exposures. This cohort is also the Dutch contribution to the international Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health (COSMOS). In this paper, we describe the study design, ongoing data collection, baseline characteristics of participants and the repeatability of key questionnaire items. Participants 88 466 participants were enrolled in three cohort studies in 2011-2012. Exposure information was collected by a harmonised core questionnaire, or modelled based on occupational and residential histories; domains include air pollution (eg, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), particulate matter with diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM 2.5)), noise, electromagnetic fields (EMF), mobile phone use, shift work and occupational chemical exposures. Chronic and subacute health outcomes are assessed by self-report and through linkage with health registries. Findings to date Participants had a median age of 51 years at baseline (range 19-87), and the majority are female (90\%), with nurses being over-represented. Median exposure levels of NO 2, PM 2.5, EMF from base stations and noise at the participants' home addresses at baseline were 22.9 μg/m 3, 16.6 μg/m 3, 0.003 mWm 2 and 53.1 dB, respectively. Twenty-two per cent of participants reported to have started using a mobile phone more than 10 years prior to baseline. Repeatability for self-reported exposures was moderate to high (weighted kappa range: 0.69-1) for a subset of participants (n=237) who completed the questionnaire twice. Future plans We are actively and passively observing participants; we plan to administer a follow-up questionnaire every 4-5 years - the first follow-up will be completed in 2018 - and linkage to cause-of-death and cancer registries occurs on a (bi)annual basis. This prospective cohort offers a unique, large and rich resource for research on contemporary occupational and environmental health risks and will contribute to the large international COSMOS study on mobile phone use and health.",

author = "Marije Reedijk and Virissa Lenters and Pauline Slottje and Anouk Pijpe and Peeters, \{Petra H\} and Korevaar, \{Joke C\} and Bas Bueno-De-Mesquita and Verschuren, \{W M Monique\} and Verheij, \{Robert A\} and Inka Pieterson and \{Van Leeuwen\}, \{Flora E\} and Rookus, \{Matti A\} and Hans Kromhout and Vermeulen, \{Roel C H\}",

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Reedijk, M, Lenters, V, Slottje, P, Pijpe, A, Peeters, PH, Korevaar, JC, Bueno-De-Mesquita, B, Verschuren, WMM, Verheij, RA, Pieterson, I, Van Leeuwen, FE, Rookus, MA, Kromhout, H & Vermeulen, RCH 2018, 'Cohort profile: LIFEWORK, a prospective cohort study on occupational and environmental risk factors and health in the Netherlands', BMJ Open, vol. 8, no. 2, e018504. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018504

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T1 - Cohort profile

T2 - LIFEWORK, a prospective cohort study on occupational and environmental risk factors and health in the Netherlands

AU - Reedijk, Marije

AU - Lenters, Virissa

AU - Slottje, Pauline

AU - Pijpe, Anouk

AU - Peeters, Petra H

AU - Korevaar, Joke C

AU - Bueno-De-Mesquita, Bas

AU - Verschuren, W M Monique

AU - Verheij, Robert A

AU - Pieterson, Inka

AU - Van Leeuwen, Flora E

AU - Rookus, Matti A

AU - Kromhout, Hans

AU - Vermeulen, Roel C H

PY - 2018/2/1

Y1 - 2018/2/1

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AB - LIFEWORK is a large federated prospective cohort established in the Netherlands to quantify the health effects of occupational and environmental exposures. This cohort is also the Dutch contribution to the international Cohort Study of Mobile Phone Use and Health (COSMOS). In this paper, we describe the study design, ongoing data collection, baseline characteristics of participants and the repeatability of key questionnaire items. Participants 88 466 participants were enrolled in three cohort studies in 2011-2012. Exposure information was collected by a harmonised core questionnaire, or modelled based on occupational and residential histories; domains include air pollution (eg, nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), particulate matter with diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM 2.5)), noise, electromagnetic fields (EMF), mobile phone use, shift work and occupational chemical exposures. Chronic and subacute health outcomes are assessed by self-report and through linkage with health registries. Findings to date Participants had a median age of 51 years at baseline (range 19-87), and the majority are female (90%), with nurses being over-represented. Median exposure levels of NO 2, PM 2.5, EMF from base stations and noise at the participants' home addresses at baseline were 22.9 μg/m 3, 16.6 μg/m 3, 0.003 mWm 2 and 53.1 dB, respectively. Twenty-two per cent of participants reported to have started using a mobile phone more than 10 years prior to baseline. Repeatability for self-reported exposures was moderate to high (weighted kappa range: 0.69-1) for a subset of participants (n=237) who completed the questionnaire twice. Future plans We are actively and passively observing participants; we plan to administer a follow-up questionnaire every 4-5 years - the first follow-up will be completed in 2018 - and linkage to cause-of-death and cancer registries occurs on a (bi)annual basis. This prospective cohort offers a unique, large and rich resource for research on contemporary occupational and environmental health risks and will contribute to the large international COSMOS study on mobile phone use and health.

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Cohort profile: LIFEWORK, a prospective cohort study on occupational and environmental risk factors and health in the Netherlands

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