Trial Information

NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study

This is a prospective cohort study to investigate relations among diet, lifestyle and
cancer. The cohort comprises 50-69 year-old male and female members of the American
Association of Retired Persons (AARP). In 1995-96 we mailed baseline questionnaires to 3.5
million AARP members. Over 615,000 AARP members responded, with over 540,000 providing
adequate dietary data. Preliminary analysis indicates that the cohort, both men and women,
has the desired wide distributions of percent calories from fat, dietary fiber, fruits and
vegetables, and red meat. Approximately 330,000 of the initial respondents (with
satisfactory data) returned a second questionnaire containing questions on exposures not
assessed in the first instrument. In 2004-2006 we mailed a follow-up questionnaire to all
living participants to assess non-cancer endpoints and lifestyle factors.