Questionnaires and interviews

Pre-questionnaire 

Together with the invitation a questionnaire comprising 100 questions was sent about two weeks before the examination date. The questionnaire, checked at the field examination included 

• sociodemographic factors (age, marital status, occupation (Nordic classification of occupations (1963), Method folder 1.9), and social class (Rauhala 1966, Method folder 1.10)
• lifestyle (smoking and exercise) (Method folder 1.11)
• medication during the past three months, coded according to the Remedia Fennica classification (Heinonen 1966-1972, Method folder 1.6)
• diagnosed diseases and their treatment (Method folder 1.5.1, 1.14)
• symptoms related to stress and functional disorders of the thyroid gland (Method folder 1.5.3)
• women specific questions 
• men specific questions 
• questions on close relatives’ diabetes (Method folder 1.5.2)

AK01 Basic questionnaire

 

The dietary survey

The dietary survey was included in the study schedule at Vammala in June 1967 and the data were collected thereafter, a total of 27 municipalities.  Approximately one in five of the study participants took part in dietary history interview (N = 10054), aimed at to collect data on habitual food consumption over the preceding year (Seppänen et al. 1973, Koskinen 1975, Järvinen 1996). The interview was guided by a preformed questionnaire (AK24) and artificial food models and pieces of real food were available to assist in estimating the amounts of food. Generally, the time taken for the interview was 30 to 40 minutes however the individual variation was great. Nine interviewers had education in home economics or nutrition.

The intakes of different food items and nutrients were calculated based on the interview data. The nutrient composition database used initially was founded on the contemporary Finnish food composition tables (Turpeinen and Roine 1967). During late eighties, the nutrient composition database was updated based on the food composition tables published by the Finnish Social Insurance Institution (Rastas et al 1989). Data on tocopherols and tocotrienols, carotenoids and retinoids, carbohydrates and fiber and fatty acids (Piironen 1986, Heinonen 1990, Varo et al. 1984a, 1984b, Hyvönen et al. 1993, Hyvönen Lea, unpublished data) were completed utilizing the analyzed values of Finnish foods from eighties. More detailed description of constructing the data as well as comments and explanations for selected variables are found in additional information (Method folder 1.15.1-1.15.4).

AK24 Dietary interview

1.15.1 Diet study
1.15.2 Dietary variables, comments
1.15.3 Diet study, data processing (in Finnish)
1.15.4 Diet study, data processing, appendix (in Finnish)

Coronary interview

A standardized interview included dyspnoea-, chest pain-, and claudication- symptoms (Rose and Blackburn 1968, Pyörälä et al. 1974, Reunanen 1977). The interview was performed at 12 municipalities among individuals 30−59 years of age (N = 10 962). The same trained nurse carried out all interviews. Based on the interviews the participants were identified who had symptoms of  dyspnea, chest pain indicating coronary heart disease, chest pain indicating possible coronary infarction or claudication due to aterial blood circulation disturbance of the lower limbs (Method folder 1.8.1, 1.8.3).