Microisolates in South Tyrol Study (MICROS)
The MICROS study was a longitudinal genetic epidemiology study designed to investigate the genetic structure and epidemiology of complex traits in isolated populations. 1,314 adult residents (aged 18 and older) were enrolled from three isolated municipalities—Stelvio, Martello, and Vallelunga—in the Vinschgau/Val Venosta district of South Tyrol, Italy, between 2002 and 2003, and in 2007. Participants were recruited through community engagement efforts, including public meetings and local advertisements. Follow-up assessments were conducted as needed, depending on the emergence of specific traits, rather than at fixed intervals. The MICROS study has since concluded, and a subset of its participants were later enrolled in the Cooperative Health Research in South Tyrol (CHRIS) study, a larger and ongoing population-based cohort in the same region.
Study design
Cohort
Number of participants at first data collection
1,314 (participants)
Age at first data collection
≥ 18 years (participants)
Participant year of birth
Varied (participants)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
No
Sample features
Country
Year of first data collection
2002
Primary Institutions
Eurac Research Institute for Biomedicine
Profile paper DOI
Funders
Ministry of Health of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano
South Tyrolean Sparkasse Foundation
Ongoing?
No
Data types collected
- Interview – face-to-face
- Physical or biological assessment (e.g. blood, saliva, gait, grip strength, anthropometry)
- Secondary data
- None
- None
- Religious organisation data
Engagement
Keywords
