title: Study design, participation and characteristics of the Danish General Suburban Population Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this article was to describe the study design, participants and baseline characteristics of The Danish General Suburban Population Study (GESUS) and to compare suburban participants with age- and gender-matched urban participants from the Copenhagen General Population Study (CGPS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from questionnaire, health examination, biochemical measurements and public registers were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In GESUS the overall participation rate was 49.3% (response n = 10,621 of total n = 21,557). Among people aged 40-79 years, the participation rate was 53.9% (8,797/16,310). Participants were more frequently women, had a higher median age, a higher frequency of marriage/registered partnerships, but had a lower frequency of co-morbidities and death in the follow-up period (January 2010-May 2011 (diseases)/June 2011 (death) than the non-participants. GESUS has sufficient power to study effects of rare and common exposures or genetic variants on the occurrence of common multifactorial diseases. Compared with an age- and gender-matched urban population (n = 10,618, CGPS), participants in GESUS (n = 10,618) were less physically active, smoked less and ingested less alcohol, had higher anthropometric measures, less undiagnosed hypertension but more undiagnosed diabetes, had a lower frequency of elevated total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein chol-esterol but higher frequency of decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and elevated triglycerides.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In GESUS, participants had a better health profile than non-participants, and participants in GESUS had a different cardiovascular risk profile than participants in the CGPS.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The study received funding from the following: Johan and Lise Boserup Foundation; TrygFonden; Det Kommunale Momsfond; Johannes Fog's Foundation; Region Zealand; Region Zealand Foundation; Naestved Hospital; Naestved Hospital Foundation; The National Board of Health; Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  not relevant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Naestved Hospital, Naestved, Denmark.
authors.forename: Helle K M
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Bergholdt
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bathum
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kvetny
authors.forename: Dorthe B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: Birgitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Moldow
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoeg
authors.forename: Gregor B E
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Jemec
authors.forename: Helle
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Berner-Nielsen
authors.forename: Børge G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Nordestgaard
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ellervik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D000886:Anthropometry; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D010808:Physical Examination; D012107:Research Design; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D013383:Suburban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides