examinations took place approximately every four years. Enrollment of the third generation cohort of 4095 children of offspring cohort participants began in 2002 (13). The RS is a prospective population-based cohort study comprising 7983 subjects aged 55 years or older. A trained interviewer visited the individuals at home for a computerized questionnaire, and individuals were subsequently examined at a research center. Baseline data were collected between 1990 and 1993 (14). The original cohort underwent 3 additional examinations. In 2000–2001, an additional 3011 individuals aged 55 or older (mainly 55–64) were recruited and examined. Since 2006, an additional cohort of individuals aged 45 years or older (mainly 45–59 years) is being recruited, comprising 3236 subjects as of May 1, 2008. All of the CHARGE cohort studies were approved by their respective institutional review committee, and the subjects from all the cohorts provided written informed consent.
