title: Cohort profile: the QSkin Sun and Health Study.
abstract: The QSkin Sun and Health Study comprises a cohort of 43 794 men and women aged 40-69 years randomly sampled from the population of Queensland, Australia in 2011. The cohort was established to study the development of skin cancer and melanoma in the population with the highest reported incidence of these diseases in the world. At baseline, besides demographic items and general medical history, information about standard pigmentary characteristics (including hair and eye colour, freckling tendency, tanning ability and propensity to sunburn), past and recent history of sun exposure and sunburns, sun protection behaviours, use of tanning beds and history of skin cancer was collected by self-completed questionnaire. Participants have given their consent for data linkage to the universal national health insurance scheme and for linkage to cancer registries and pathology databases, thus ensuring complete ascertainment of all future skin cancer and melanoma occurrences and medical treatments and other cancer events. Linkage to these registers will occur at predetermined intervals. Approval to access QSkin data can be obtained on application to the study investigators and submission of a formal research plan that has previous approval from the human research ethics committee of the applicant's institution.
authors.affiliation: Population Health Department, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Queensland, Australia and University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, UK. Catherine.Olsen@qimr.edu.au
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: Adèle C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Neale
authors.forename: Penelope M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Rebekah A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cicero
authors.forename: Lea M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Jackman
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Ranieri
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Whiteman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D012107:Research Design; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires