Helsinki Businessmen Study (HBS)
The HBS was originally a convenience cohort of nearly 3,500 male executives and businessmen in Helsinki, Finland, who participated in health check-ups during the 1960s. Since the beginning of the 1970s, it developed into a clinical-epidemiological, longitudinal study. Follow-up time of the cohort currently spans up to 50 years. The median age of participants at first visit was 42 years (ranging from 31 to 54 years). By 2015, the oldest participants had reached 96 years of age (ranging from 81 to 96 years). Consequently, HBS is among the longest follow-up studies in the world. At first, the main focus was on cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and their prevention, but during the 2000s, with the ageing of the cohort, the emphasis gradually shifted to geriatric medicine with a life-course dimension.
Study design
Cohort, Cohort - occupational
Number of participants at first data collection
3,490 (participants)
Age at first data collection
31 - 54 years (participants)
Participant year of birth
1919 - 1934 (participants)
Participant sex
Male
Representative sample at baseline?
No
Sample features
Country
Year of first data collection
1964
Primary Institutions
Helsinki University Hospital (Helsingin seudun yliopistollinen keskussairaala, HUCH)
University of Helsinki (Helsingin yliopisto)
Profile paper DOI
Funders
Academy of Finland
Gustav V och Victoria Frimurarestiftelse
Helsinki University Central Hospital
Oulu University Hospital (Oulun yliopistollinen sairaala, OYS)
Sohlberg Foundation
Ongoing?
No
Data types collected
- Computer, paper or task testing (e.g. cognitive testing, theory of mind doll task, attention computer tasks)
- Physical or biological assessment (e.g. blood, saliva, gait, grip strength, anthropometry)
- Secondary data
- Self-report questionnaire – paper or computer assisted
- None
- None
- Census data
- Healthcare data
- Mortality data
Engagement
Keywords
