Information letters and questionnaires
On this page we aim to describe the structure of the NOWAC questionnaire series, repeated questionnaire data collections, and enrolment groups. The questionnaires themselves and their associated information letters participants received are also provided.
General structure of questionnaires in the cohort
A central component of the population-based study, NOWAC, consists of data from questionnaires answered by Norwegian women participants, who were aged 30-70 years when they were first contacted and enrolled. Enrollment occurred in enrolment groups, between the years 1991 and 2005. NOWAC participants have answered between one and four questionnaires.
Within enrolment groups, questionnaires have been sent out in rounds, called series, currently totalling to 49 series. Series 1, was sent to participants in 1991 and represented the first questionnaire for earliest enrolled group of participants in NOWAC. Series 49 was sent to participants in 2017 and represented the fourth questionnaire received by a subgroup of NOWAC women.
Questionnaires varied in length (2, 4, 6, and 8 pages) depending on the series. The information collected varied to some extent, depending on the series of which participants belonged.
For a visual representation, click here.
Description of repeated questionnaire data collections
A randomly selected sample of Norwegian women born between 1927 and 1965 were invited to participate in NOWAC (originally titled, “Women, Lifestyle, and Health”). Participants responded to their first questionnaires either in 1991-92, 1995-97, or 2003-05.
Participants were followed up with a second questionnaire between four and six years after the first questionnaire. With the aim of measuring lifestyle changes, the second questionnaire covered many of the same topics as in the first questionnaire.
Participants who responded to a first questionnaire (any enrolment) and second questionnaire in 1998-2002 or 2014 were sent a third questionnaire in 2001-2005 or 2010.
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Description of enrolment groups
The first questionnaire in NOWAC was sent to the first enrolled women in 1991-92, comprising of 10 series, who had the possibility of responding to up to four questionnaires. Approximately XX number of participants responded to the first questionnaire.
Some information from the first enrolment group has served as the Norwegian centre for the large multicentre study titled “The European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition” (EPIC). Specifically, information from participants in Series 28 and 29, and their follow-up information from Series 38 and 42, were shared with EPIC. EPIC is housed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which NOWAC works in close collaboration with.
First questionnaire1991-92 |
Second questionnaire1998 |
Third questionnaire2004 -05 |
Fourth questionnaire2017 |
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Information letter |
Questionnaire |
Information letter |
Questionnaire |
Information letter |
Questionnaire |
Information letter |
Questionnaire |
| Series 1-4 | Series 1-4 | Series 25 and 27 | Series 25 and 27 | Series 38-39, 42 | Series 38-39, 42 | Series 49 | Series 49 |
| Series 5 | Series 5 | Series 26 | Series 26 | ||||
| Series 6 | Series 6 | Series 28-29 | Series 28-29 | ||||
| Series 7 | Series 7 | ||||||
| Series 8 | Series 8 | ||||||
| Series 9 | Series 9 | ||||||
| Series 10 | Series 10 | ||||||
NOWAC received funding to recruit more participants in 1995. Approximately, XX new participants responded to their first questionnaires sent in 1995-96.
First questionnaire1991 |
Second questionnaire1998 |
Third questionnaire2004 -05 |
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| Information letter | Questionnaire | Information letter | Questionnaire | Information letter | Questionnaire |
| Series 17 | Series 17 | Series 30 | Series 30 | Series 37 | Series 37 |
| Series 18 | Series 18 | ||||
Another set of new participants were enrolled and sent their first questionnaires in 1996-97. Approximately XX new participants responded to the first questionnaire.
First questionnaire1995 -96 |
Second questionnaire2002 |
Third questionnaire2004 -05 |
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| Information letter | Questionnaire | Information letter | Questionnaire | Information letter | Questionnaire |
| Series 11 | Series 11 | Series 32-33 | Series 32-33 | Series 46 | Series 46 |
| Series 12-13 | Series 12-13 | ||||
| Series 14-15 | Series 14-15 | ||||
| Series 16 | Series 16 | ||||
| Series 19-21 | Series 19-21 | ||||
| Series 22-23 | Series 22-23 | ||||
| Series 24 | Series 24 | ||||
New participants were enrolled into NOWAC and sent questionnaires in 2003-04. Approximately XX number of participants responded to the first questionnaire.
First questionnaire2003 -04 |
Second questionnaire2011 and 2014 |
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| Information letter | Questionnaire | Information letter | Questionnaire |
| Series 35-36 | Series 35-36 | Series 47-48 | Series 47-48 |
The last enrolment group into NOWAC responded to their first questionnaires in 2005-07.
First questionnaire2005 -07 |
|
| Information letter | First questionnaire |
| Series 40-41, 43-45 | Series 40-41, 43-45 |