Cohort Profile Update: The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health Musculoskeletal (ELSA-Brasil MSK) cohort

Abstract

The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) is an ongoing multicentre cohort set up to investigate the incidence and determinants of the main non-communicable diseases (NCDs), especially cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. The cohort comprises 15 105 active and retired civil servants, aged between 35 and 74 years at inception (2008-10), from teaching and research institutions located in six Brazilian states: Minas Gerais, So Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Esp rito Santo, Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul. lthough ELSA-Brasil does not include the extremely poor and unemployed, the participants present reasonable variability pertaining to socioeconomic status and other demographic factors, and the prevalence of behavioural risk factors and chronic conditions in the cohort are similar to the general Brazilian population. 2 ELSA-Brasil cohort surveillance includes annual telephone interviews, clinical events investigation and quadrennial face-to-face assessments.