Table 1 Components and sources of the interview used in the baseline survey of the CARLA Study

Sociodemographic factors:

1. Subject's own education, occupational status, net household income

2. Parental education and occupational status

3. Partner's education and occupational status

1. Demographic standards for Germany [81]

2. adapted according to [81]

3. adapted according to [81]

Utilization of medical services

Modified from SHIP [49,82]

Chronic diseases: own medical history

1. cardiovascular diseases: coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension

2. chest pain

3. intermittent claudication

4. hypercholesterolemia

5. diabetes

6. thyroid disease

7. osteoporosis

8. rheumatoid arthritis

9. chronic diseases

10. cancer

Chronic diseases: family history

1. myocardial infarction, stroke, hypertension

2. diabetes

3. cancer

Menopausal state and use of hormone replacement therapy

All adopted from SHIP [49,82] and KORA/MONICA [48,83-85];

Rose questionnaire for chest pain and intermittent claudication [54]

Medication use during the preceding 7 days

IDOM software developed by GSF, based on the GKV medication database for Germany, used in KORA study [55,56]

Health related behaviour/lifestyle factors

1. diet/nutritional habits – short qualitative food frequency list

2. alcohol use

3. physical activity

4. smoking

1. adopted from KORA/MONICA [83,86]

2. adopted from HAPIEE [52]

3. Baecke questionnaire [87], also used in SHIP and ARIC

4. adapted and shortened from smoking questionnaire developed by W. Ahrens, BIPS

Social support

Modified version of Berkman-questionnaire (translation by J. Siegrist used in KORA/MONICA) [48,84,88,89]

Unemployment, job insecurity

Adopted from SHIP [49,82] and HAPIEE [52]

Material circumstances

Adopted from HAPIEE [52]