title: The Korean Heart Study: rationale, objectives, protocol, and preliminary results for a new prospective cohort study of 430,920 men and women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To describe the rationale, objectives, protocol, and preliminary results for a new prospective cohort study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in South Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study members were recruited from participants in routine health assessments at health promotion centres across South Korea. Established and emerging CVD risk factors were measured. Eighteen centres holding electronic health records agreed to linkage of participants' records to future health insurance claims for monitoring of disease events. The recruitment of 430,920 participants (266,782 men, 164,138 women), aged 30-74 years, provides broad geographical reach across South Korea.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Risk factor prevalence was more favourable in women than men, and, in general, in the younger rather than older study members. There was also close similarity between the characteristics of the present sample and the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The expected associations between risk factors and both CVD and death were also apparent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data from the present sample, based on data linkage, show close agreement with South Korea-wide surveys (for risk factor prevalence) and the extant literature (for risk factor associations). These findings gives confidence in future results anticipated from this cohort study of east Asians - a group that has been traditionally under-researched.
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea jsunha@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Sun Ha
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Jee
authors.affiliation: University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: G David
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Batty
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea JANGYS1212@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Yangsoo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Joo
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byung-Hee
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: University of Ulsan, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seong-Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ki-Bae
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Seung
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Heejin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kimm
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Yeun
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yejin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mok
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyon-Suk
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Duk Chul
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Seoul National University, Sungnam, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: CHA University, Sungnam, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Moon Jong
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Korea Medical Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Gyu Jang
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jidong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.affiliation: Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: BeLong
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Daejeon Sun General Hospital, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Eung Soo
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Konyang University Hospital, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Byung-Yeon
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Tae-Yong
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong Sung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Daejeon Eulji University Hospital, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jang-Kyun
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Daegu Catholic Hospital, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Hi
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University, Wonju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Ku
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Yonsei University, Wonju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Baek
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.affiliation: Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sat Byul
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Ajou University, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soon Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Ulsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Cheol-In
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: University of Ulsan, College of Medicine, Ulsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Moon Chan
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hong-Kyu
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Dong-A University Medical Center, Busan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Joo-sung
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: National Health Insurance Service, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Duk
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: National Health Insurance Service, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soo Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Samet
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Woodward
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012107:Research Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Cardiovascular disease; cohort study; prevalence; risk factor