Gutenberg Health Study (GHS)
Gutenberg Health Study (GHS):
Gutenberg Health Study (GHS): The Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) is designed as a community-based, prospective, observational, single-center cohort study in the Rhine-Main area of Western Germany (6). The sample was drawn randomly from the governmental local registry offices in the city of Mainz and the district of Mainz-Bingen. The sample was stratified 1:1 for sex and residence (urban and rural) and in equal strata for decades of age. Individuals between 35 and 74 years of age were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were insufficient knowledge of the German language and physical or psychological inability to participate in the examinations at the study centre. Baseline examination of 15,000 study participants was performed between 2007 and 2012. A 2.5 year follow-up conducted as a telephone interview started in 2009. Since 2012, the 5-year follow up has been achieved through record linkage, including a second visit at the study centre with extensive medical examination and re-sampling of the biomaterial which is ongoing.
