Women's Health in the Lund Area (WHILA) - initial questionnaire

The Women's Health in the Lund Area (WHILA) study invited all women (n = 10,766) living in the Lund area of Southern Sweden by 1995, who were born between 1935 and 1945. The health screening program included a postal validated questionnaire concerning medical history, drug treatment, family history of diabetes and hypertension, menopausal status, smoking and alcohol habits, education, household, and working status, physical activity, quality of life as well as subjective physical and mental symptoms. The screening consisted of a routine physical examination with standardized blood pressure measurements, bone densitometry and an extended laboratory examination. A link with the mammography registry was established. 10766 women were invited to the study and the total cohort consists of 6917 (response rate 64.2%). Purpose: The aim was to study the health profile in a population based cohort of middle-aged women in a geographically well-defined area in relation to metabolic factors, bone density, quality of life, lifestyle, social conditions and various subjective symptoms.