Table 1

Components and sources of the interview used in the baseline survey of the CARLA Study

Topics of interview module
Source (reference, original study)

Sociodemographic factors:
1. Subject's own education, occupational status, net household income
2. Parental education and occupational status
3. Partner's education and occupational status
1. Demographic standards for Germany [81]
2. adapted according to [81]
3. adapted according to [81]
Utilization of medical services
Modified from SHIP [49,82]
Chronic diseases: own medical history
1. cardiovascular diseases: coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension
2. chest pain
3. intermittent claudication
4. hypercholesterolemia
5. diabetes
6. thyroid disease
7. osteoporosis
8. rheumatoid arthritis
9. chronic diseases
10. cancer
Chronic diseases: family history
1. myocardial infarction, stroke, hypertension
2. diabetes
3. cancer
Menopausal state and use of hormone replacement therapy
All adopted from SHIP [49,82] and KORA/MONICA [48,83-85];
Rose questionnaire for chest pain and intermittent claudication [54]
Medication use during the preceding 7 days
IDOM software developed by GSF, based on the GKV medication database for Germany, used in KORA study [55,56]
Health related behaviour/lifestyle factors
1. diet/nutritional habits – short qualitative food frequency list
2. alcohol use
3. physical activity
4. smoking
1. adopted from KORA/MONICA [83,86]
2. adopted from HAPIEE [52]
3. Baecke questionnaire [87], also used in SHIP and ARIC
4. adapted and shortened from smoking questionnaire developed by W. Ahrens, BIPS
Social support
Modified version of Berkman-questionnaire (translation by J. Siegrist used in KORA/MONICA) [48,84,88,89]
Unemployment, job insecurity
Adopted from SHIP [49,82] and HAPIEE [52]
Material circumstances
Adopted from HAPIEE [52]

ARIC = Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities; BIPS = Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine; CES-D = Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale; EPIC = European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition; HAPIEE = Health, Alcohol and Psychosocial Factors in Eastern Europe; KORA = Cooperative Health Research in the Augsburg Region; MONICA = Monitoring Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease; SF 12 = Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire; SHIP = Study of Health in Pomerania

Greiser et al. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders 2005 5:33   doi:10.1186/1471-2261-5-33