The Sixth Tromsø Study

The sixth survey of the Tromsø Study (Tromsø6) was conducted in 2007-08. A total of 12984 men and women aged 30-87 took part. The invited population consisted of four groups: Subjects who took part in the special study in the Tromsø 4, a 10 % random sample of subjects aged 30-39, all individuals aged 40-42 or 60-87 and a 40 % random sample of subjects aged 43-59 years. A total of 12984 men and women (65,7 % of the invited population) attended the survey.

The more detailed description of the sixth survey has been described in a Cohort Profile paper

Participation in Tromsø6, 2007-08:

Age	Men invited	Women invited	Male participants	Female participants	% men	% women
30-34	242	257	90	130	37,2	50,6
35-39	302	284	122	167	40,4	58,8
40-44	2036	2047	1075	1292	52,8	63,1
45-49	952	922	588	621	61,8	67,4
50-54	855	905	534	666	62,5	73,6
55-59	847	800	613	623	72,4	77,9
60-64	1634	1581	1165	1281	71,3	81,0
65-69	1068	1054	830	827	77,7	78,5
70-74	691	745	516	549	74,7	73,7
75-79	506	711	325	439	64,2	61,7
80-84	372	604	162	261	43,5	43,2
85-87	120	227	34	74	28,3	32,6
TOTAL	9625	10137	6054	6930	62,9	68,4

The attendance rate among the subjects who had taken part in the special study in Tromsø4 was high, 74 % of 5759 subjects, whereas it was lower (62 %) in the other groups of the invited population.

Examinations and measurements

All the invited subjects were given information about the study. A questionnaire (4 pages) was mailed together with the invitation. The questionnaire included questions about general health status, diseases and diseases in the family, muscle pain, physical discomfort and mental distress, use of the public health service and medications, socioeconomic situation, physical activity in leisure time, smoking and alchol habits as well as food habits. Women were asked about, among other topics, parity, age at menarche and age at menopause. People who attended the study received another very comprehensive questionnaire that they were asked to complete and send back.

Everyone who attended underwent a relatively simple medical examination comprising measuring height, weight, waist and hip circumference and blood pressure. A blood sample was also taken to measure serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose.

All individuals who had taken part in the special study in Tromsø4, who were aged 50-62 or 75-84 as well as a 20 % random sample of subjects aged 63-74 were invited to a more comprehensive examionation in the same way as in the Tromsø4 and Tromsø5 surveys.