The Korean Heart Study: rationale, objectives, protocol, and preliminary results for a new prospective cohort study of 430,920 men and women.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To describe the rationale, objectives, protocol, and preliminary

results for a new prospective cohort study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk

factors in South Korea. METHODS: Study members were recruited from participants

in routine health assessments at health promotion centres across South Korea.

Established and emerging CVD risk factors were measured. Eighteen centres holding

electronic health records agreed to linkage of participants' records to future

health insurance claims for monitoring of disease events. The recruitment of

430,920 participants (266,782 men, 164,138 women), aged 30-74 years, provides

broad geographical reach across South Korea. RESULTS: Risk factor prevalence was

more favourable in women than men, and, in general, in the younger rather than

older study members. There was also close similarity between the characteristics

of the present sample and the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination

Survey. The expected associations between risk factors and both CVD and death

were also apparent. CONCLUSIONS: Data from the present sample, based on data

linkage, show close agreement with South Korea-wide surveys (for risk factor

prevalence) and the extant literature (for risk factor associations). These

findings gives confidence in future results anticipated from this cohort study of

east Asians - a group that has been traditionally under-researched.