![]() A wealth of prospective data on health and lifestyle exposures including objective measures has now been collected over almost 20 years of follow-up. Key priorities have been to develop improved methods of exposure measurement and to characterize participants extensively in terms of their lifestyle, physiological, metabolic and genetic profiles. EPIC-Norfolk has had a particular focus on characterizing exposures in terms of modifiable lifestyle factors such as diet, physical activity and psychosocial factors. 7, 8 EPIC-Norfolk is one of the UK centres of this 10-country collaboration and, although part of the diet and cancer study, its remit was widened soon after its inception to include investigation of major determinants of chronic disease, disability and death in middle and later life. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) is an international collaboration studying diet and disease, with half a million participants. Why was the EPIC-Norfolk cohort set up and what was the rationale for EPIC-Norfolk 3? 3–6 Through EPIC-Norfolk, we aim to get a better understanding of the causes of disease and the reasons for health inequalities so as to eventually inform policies for health improvement and disease prevention in middle and later life. 3 A small change in the incidence of common conditions may have a profound impact on projections of future numbers with disability in the population. through effective control of vascular risk factors) can reduce the numbers of individuals with disability in later life. Delaying onset of disease and improving survival (e.g. 2 Ageing is often characterized by a complex combination of morbidities, and we need to consider not just disease prevention but also slowing down the progression to disability. With more people living longer, this is a challenge to society with considerable cost implications for our health services. The occurrence of chronic disease, disability and dependence increases with age. Understanding determinants of these conditions may help us understand how best to postpone or reduce disability and disease in later life. These conditions are more prevalent in older age but are not necessarily an inevitable consequence of ageing, with substantial variations seen in the health and functional status of older people. 1 To maintain good health in later life, we need to improve our understanding of how to influence conditions such as dementia, sarcopenia, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. The numbers of older people worldwide are increasing at an unprecedented rate and good health and well-being in later life are now major priorities. Information for data access can be found on the study website, details as given in this cohort profile. With a wealth of longitudinal data and a biobank (including DNA) collected at up to three separate time points, EPIC-Norfolk offers the unique opportunity to investigate the association of lifestyle and biological factors, including genetic exposures, with a range of health outcomes in middle and later life. EPIC-Norfolk focused on objective measures of cognitive function, physical capability and visual health, adapting this existing mid-life cohort to the current need to investigate healthy and independent living for ageing societies. EPIC-Norfolk completed a third round of health examinations (EPIC-Norfolk 3 or 3HC) in December 2011, on 8623 participants in the age range 48–92 years. ![]() The EPIC collaboration was set up to examine the dietary determinants of cancer, but the remit in the EPIC-Norfolk cohort was broadened from the outset to include determinants of other health conditions and chronic diseases. EPIC-Norfolk examined 25 639 men and women resident in East Anglia (aged 40–79 years), between 19. The European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) is a 10-country collaborative study in which EPIC-Norfolk is one of the UK centres. ![]()
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