title: Origin, Methods, and Evolution of the Three Nurses' Health Studies.
abstract: We have summarized the evolution of the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), a prospective cohort study of 121 700 married registered nurses launched in 1976; NHS II, which began in 1989 and enrolled 116 430 nurses; and NHS3, which began in 2010 and has ongoing enrollment. Over 40 years, these studies have generated long-term, multidimensional data, including lifestyle- and health-related information across the life course and an extensive repository of various biological specimens. We have described the questionnaire data collection, disease follow-up methods, biorepository resources, and data management and statistical procedures. Through integrative analyses, these studies have sustained a high level of scientific productivity and substantially influenced public health recommendations. We have highlighted recent interdisciplinary research projects and discussed future directions for collaboration and innovation.
authors.affiliation: Ying Bao, Meir J. Stampfer, and Frank E. Speizer are with the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Monica L. Bertoia, Elizabeth B. Lenart, Walter C. Willett, and Jorge E. Chavarro are with the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.affiliation: Ying Bao, Meir J. Stampfer, and Frank E. Speizer are with the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Monica L. Bertoia, Elizabeth B. Lenart, Walter C. Willett, and Jorge E. Chavarro are with the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Monica L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bertoia
authors.affiliation: Ying Bao, Meir J. Stampfer, and Frank E. Speizer are with the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Monica L. Bertoia, Elizabeth B. Lenart, Walter C. Willett, and Jorge E. Chavarro are with the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Lenart
authors.affiliation: Ying Bao, Meir J. Stampfer, and Frank E. Speizer are with the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Monica L. Bertoia, Elizabeth B. Lenart, Walter C. Willett, and Jorge E. Chavarro are with the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Meir J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Stampfer
authors.affiliation: Ying Bao, Meir J. Stampfer, and Frank E. Speizer are with the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Monica L. Bertoia, Elizabeth B. Lenart, Walter C. Willett, and Jorge E. Chavarro are with the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Walter C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Willett
authors.affiliation: Ying Bao, Meir J. Stampfer, and Frank E. Speizer are with the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Monica L. Bertoia, Elizabeth B. Lenart, Walter C. Willett, and Jorge E. Chavarro are with the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Frank E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Speizer
authors.affiliation: Ying Bao, Meir J. Stampfer, and Frank E. Speizer are with the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Monica L. Bertoia, Elizabeth B. Lenart, Walter C. Willett, and Jorge E. Chavarro are with the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Chavarro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003710:Demography; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012107:Research Design; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health