Motahareh Kheradmand
1, Mahmood Moosazadeh
1*, Majid Saeedi
2, Hossein Poustchi
3,4, Sareh Eghtesad
3,5, Ravanbakhsh Esmaeili
6, Reza Alizadeh-Navaei
7, Akbar Hedayatizadeh-Omran
7, Roja Nikaeein
8, Alireza Rafiei
9, Ghasem Janbabaee
7, Zahra Kashi
10, Mehrnoush Sohrab
10, Mahboobeh Shirzad AhooDashti
11, Mahdi Afshari
12, Bahareh Golpour
8, Mohsen Aarabi
13, Iradj Maleki
14, Hafez Tirgar Fakheri
14, Ali Ghaemian
15, Mehran Zarghami
16, Alireza Ghaemi
171 Health Sciences Research center, Addiction Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
2 Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
3 Liver and Pancreatobiliary Diseases Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
4 Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
5 Digestive Disease Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
6 Orthopedic Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
7 Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
8 Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
9 Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
10 Diabetes Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
11 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
12 Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran
13 Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
14 Gut and Liver Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
15 Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
16 Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Addiction Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
17 Department of Basic Science and Nutrition, Health Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Abstract
Background: The Tabari cohort study (TCS), part of the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN (PERSIAN), is a large longitudinal prospective cohort designed to better understand the risk factors associated with major non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across two urban and mountainous regions in north of Iran.
Methods: The enrollment phase of TCS started in June 2015 and ended in November 2017. During this phase, individuals aged 35–70 years from urban and mountainous regions of Sari township (Mazandaran province) were invited to the cohort center by health volunteers (urban regions) and Behvarz (mountainous areas) using census information. Data was collected based on the PERSIAN cohort study protocols. Hypertension was defind as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg or history of diagnosis with hypertension or taking antihypertensive medications among participants free from cardiovascular diseases. Diabetes was defined as fasting blood sugar ≥126 mg/dL or a history of diagnosis or taking glucoselowering medications among all participants.
Results: A total of 10,255 participants were enrolled in TCS, 59.5% of whom were female. Among the total population, 7,012 participants were urban residents (68.4%). The prevalence of daily smoking in the total population was 9.1%. Body mass index in 75.9% of participants was ≥25 kg/m2. The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and thyroid disorders were 22.2%, 17.2%, and 10.5%, respectively.
Conclusion: The Tabari cohort is different from other cohorts in terms of levels of risk factors associated with NCDs. This study has certain important strengths including its population-based design and large sample size that provides a valid platform for conducting future investigations and trials. A biobank that has been designed to store blood, nail, hair and urine samples for future research is another strength of this study. Researchers who are interested in using the information can refer to the following web page: http://persiancohort.com.