The Iowa Women's Health Study (IWHS), started in 1986, is a cohort of 41,836 postmenopausal women aged 55-69 at baseline. The primary aims of the study were to:

1) Determine if the distribution of body fat (waist/hip) predicts incidence of chronic diseases, with the primary endpoints being total mortality, and incident cancers of the breast, endometrium, and ovaries, and

2) Determine to what degree diet and other lifestyle factors influence risk of chronic disease.

Questionnaires at baseline and for five follow-ups (1987, 1989, 1992, 1997, 2004) provide self-reported information on demographics, reproductive history, medical history, hormone replace therapy, dietary intake (FFQ), physical activity and other factors.

Annual linkage to the Iowa SEER registry provides cancer incidence and linkage to the National Death Index provides mortality. Self-reported information is used for other endpoint (e.g., diabetes and fractures).

Currently underway is linkage to the CMS database (Medicare and Medicaid files), which will expand both endpoints (e.g., cardiovascular disease incidence) and exposures (e.g. myeloproliferative disorders, pancreatitis, health care).

From 1986 to 2007, there have been 9,434 incident cancers: over 2,900 breast; 1,200 colon; 975 lung; 600 uterine; and 300 ovarian. There have been over 15,700 deaths, including about 4,900 from cancer and 5,900 from cardiovascular disease. Over 270 manuscripts have been published based on analyses in IWHS or based on collaborative projects with Harvard and Oxford Universities, and the NCI Cohort Consortium. Selected examples of recent publications are provided below:

Prizment AE, Folsom AR, Anderson KE. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk for ovarian and endometrial cancers in the Iowa Women's Health Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010:19:435-442. PMID: 20142241.

Ward MH, Kilfoy BA, Weyer P, Anderson K, Folsom AR, Cerhan JR. Nitrate intake and the risk of thyroid cancer and thyroid disease. Epidemiology 2010 ;21:389-395. PMID: 20335813.

Zhang X, Albanes D, Beeson WL, van den Brandt PA, Buring JE, Flood A, Freudenheim JL, Giovannucci EL, Goldbohm RA, Jaceldo K, Jacobs EJ, Krogh V, Larsson SC, Marshall JR, McCullough ML, Miller AB, Robien K, Rohan TE, Schatzkin A, Sieri S, Spiegelman D, Virtamo J, Wolk A, Willett WC, Zhang SM, Smith-Warner SA. Risk of colon cancer and coffee, tea, and sugar-sweetened soft drink intake: pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies. J Natl Cancer Inst 2010; 102:771-783. PMID: 20453203.

Thompson CA, Habermann TM, Wang AH, Vierkant RA, Folsom AR, Ross JA, Cerhan JR. Antioxidant intake from fruits, vegetables and other sources and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma: The Iowa Womens' Health Study. Int J Cancer 2010;126:992-1003. PMID: 19685491.

Lazovich D, Robien K, Cutler G, Virnig B, Sweeney C. Quality of life in a prospective cohort of elderly women with and without cancer. Cancer 2009;4:115(S18):4283-4297. PMID: 19731348.

Contact Information

Questions about specific endpoints, variables or analyses can be directed to: Kim Robien, PI, or any of the Iowa co-investigators and collaborators: Aaron Folsom, Kristin Anderson, Andrew Flood, David Jacobs, DeAnn Lazovich, or Julie Ross (U of MN); James Cerhan, Celine Vachon, Janet Olson, and Paul Limburg (Mayo Clinic).