Agricultural Health Study (AHS)
The AHS was established in 1993 with the aim of understanding how agricultural, lifestyle, and genetic factors affect the health of farming populations. The study includes a cohort of over 89,000 licensed pesticide applicators, both private and commercial, and their spouses from Iowa and North Carolina in the United States of America. Eligible licensed pesticide applicators were identified from government records of those seeking restricted-use pesticide licenses. Participants were enrolled in the study from 1993 to 1997 (Phase 1), with subsequent phases of data collection from 1999-2003 (Phase 2), 2005-2010 (Phase 3), 2013-2015 (Phase 4), and 2019-2021 (Phase 5).
Study design
Cohort, Cohort - occupational
Number of participants at first data collection
89,655 (participants)
Age at first data collection
Varied (participants)
Participant year of birth
Varied (participants)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
No
Sample features
Country
Year of first data collection
1993
Primary Institutions
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Links
Profile paper DOI
Funders
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Ongoing?
Yes
Data types collected
- Computer, paper or task testing (e.g. cognitive testing, theory of mind doll task, attention computer tasks)
- Interview – phone
- Physical environment assessment (e.g. pollution, mould)
- Physical or biological assessment (e.g. blood, saliva, gait, grip strength, anthropometry)
- Secondary data
- Self-report questionnaire – online
- Self-report questionnaire – paper or computer assisted
- None
- None
- Healthcare data
- Mortality data
- Other government data
Engagement
Keywords
Consortia and dataset groups
