Abstract Background Biobanks typically rely on volunteer-based sampling. This results in large samples (power) at the cost of representativeness (bias). The problem of volunteer bias is debated. Here, we (i) show that volunteering biases associations in UK Biobank (UKB) and (ii) estimate inverse probability (IP) weights that correct for volunteer bias in UKB. Methods Drawing on UK Census data, we constructed a subsample representative of UKB’s target population, which consists of all individuals invited to participate. Based on demographic variables shared between the UK Census and UKB, we est ..read more

Mother-baby cohortHospital Episode StatisticsNational Pupil Databasedata linkageintergenerational effects ..read more

Health disparitiescancer survivorshipcardiovascular mortality ..read more

Population healthdemographic surveillancehealth transitionTanzaniasub-Saharan Africa ..read more

Abstract Background Evidence on the potential association between dietary copper intake and gastric cancer (GC) is lacking. Thus, we aimed to evaluate this association within the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project—an international consortium of epidemiological studies on GC. Methods Data from five case–control studies within the StoP Project were included (2448 cases, 4350 controls). We estimated adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for the association between dietary copper intake and GC using multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression models. We also modelled the dose–response rela ..read more

Key Features The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Covid-19 Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (HIRA Covid-19 OMOP) database is a data source converted as a form of OMOP Common Data Model for rapid Covid-19 research based on national claims data. This database obtained representativeness by sampling approximately 20% of the entire Republic of Korea population (9 822 577 patients) and includes data from January 2018 to April 2022. The database includes both infected and uninfected individuals and is linked to the Covid-19 confirmation list of the Korea Centers for Disease ..read more

Abstract Background/aims The effect modification by smoking and menopausal status in the association between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and liver cancer risk has not been reported. Methods This population-based cohort study included 4.486 million cancer-free individuals among those who underwent national cancer screening in 2010 and were followed up until December 2017. We conducted analyses in populations that excluded people with chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C and liver cirrhosis (Model I) and that included those diseases (Model III). HDL-C level was classified in ..read more

Abstract Background Distributed lag non-linear models (DLNMs) are the reference framework for modelling lagged non-linear associations. They are usually used in large-scale multi-location studies. Attempts to study these associations in small areas either did not include the lagged non-linear effects, did not allow for geographically-varying risks or downscaled risks from larger spatial units through socioeconomic and physical meta-predictors when the estimation of the risks was not feasible due to low statistical power. Methods Here we proposed spatial Bayesian DLNMs (SB-DLNMs) as a new frame ..read more

Abstract Background Accurate characterization of how age influences body weight and metabolism at different stages of life is important for understanding ageing processes. Here, we explore observational longitudinal associations between metabolic health and weight from the fifth to the seventh decade of life, using carefully adjusted statistical designs. Methods Body measures and biochemical data from blood and urine (220 measures) across two visits were available from 10 104 UK Biobank participants. Participants were divided into stable (within ±4% per decade), weight loss and weight gain cat ..read more

Abstract Background Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) may disproportionately suffer the adverse cardiovascular effects of air pollution, but relevant evidence on microvascular outcome is lacking. We aimed to examine the association between air pollution exposure and the risk of microvascular complications among patients with T2D. Methods This prospective study included 17 995 participants with T2D who were free of macro- and micro-vascular complications at baseline from the UK Biobank. Annual average concentrations of particulate matter (PM) with diameters <2.5 μm (PM2.5), <10 μm (PM10 ..read more