Data will be released in multiple waves. Release 1 (R1) is available now and involves categorical data from the Health & Lifestyle questionnaire and the most recent linked BC Cancer Agency Cancer Registry data. Future data releases will include Health & Lifestyle questionnaire open text variables, assessment centre acquired physical measurements and biosample preanalytical data.
Health & Lifestyle questionnaire data
Project participants completed one of two Health and Lifestyle questionnaires. Participants enrolled from May 2009 to May 2010 completed the OPAL versions (male questionnaire, or female questionnaire); and medical history questionnaire while participants enrolled from June 2010 to August 2016 completed the TELF/ONLI version. From these questionnaires a set of core variables were harmonized with the other four regions of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project. Codebooks describing the harmonized core variables are available and ready for access. The Variable Codebook includes variable name, label, detailed descriptions, value type (numeric or text), and unit if applicable. The Categorical Codebook provides the variable name and associated coding and label for all categorical variables.
If you are interested in cross-referencing a specific Health & Lifestyle questionnaire question to its corresponding variable name, please refer to our Cross-reference table. You will need to know the questionnaire name (e.g. OPAL-Male, OPAL-Female, TELF/ONLI) and question number (e.g. SF03) to perform the match.
In order to facilitate easier reference to the more than 700 variables, the statistical output data has been broadly categorized into several main topic areas, following the order of the questionnaire. Below are the statistic reports by topic:
- Administrative
- Social Demographics Characteristics
- Health Status
- Life Style
- Cancer Screening Tests
- Personal Diseases
- Family Diseases
- Physical Activities
- Physical Measurements
- Employment Status
- Residential History (in progress)
The OPAL Health and Lifestyle questionnaire asks additional questions not present in the TELF/ONLI Health and Lifestyle questionnaire. These additional variables, as well as the residential history information, will be accessible in the future.
Assessment Centre physical measures data
Physical Measures data was either self-collected or measured and recorded by a staff member when the participant visited an assessment centre. Self-collected measurements included weight, height, waist and hip circumference. Assessment Centre core measures included waist and hip circumference, standing height, sitting height, bioimpedence analysis of weight and body composition, blood pressure and heart rate. Assessment Centre extended measures included grip strength, bone density, and in some cases, spirometry.
Physical measures data will be available in a future data release wave.
Summary Cancer Data on Participants
Participants were asked to self-report their cancer history in the Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire (<Self Reported Cancer>). The BC Generations Project also follows participants’ cancer events via annual linkage to the BC Cancer Registry at BCCA. The Registry provides detailed information on cancer site and type, diagnosis date, stage and treatment. This allows us to provide summary cancer data on both incidence and prevalence by cancer type.