Lifelines COVID-19 cohort: investigating COVID-19 infection and its health and societal impacts in a Dutch population-based cohort

Abstract

PurposeThe Lifelines COVID-19 cohort was set up to assess the psychological and societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and investigate potential risk factors for COVID-19 within the Lifelines prospective population cohort.ParticipantsParticipants were recruited from the 140 000 eligible participants of Lifelines and the Lifelines NEXT birth cohort, who are all residents of the three northern provinces of the Netherlands. Participants filled out detailed questionnaires about their physical and mental health and experiences on a weekly basis starting in late March 2020, and the cohort consists of everyone who filled in at least one questionnaire in the first 8 weeks of the project.Findings to date>71 000 unique participants responded to the questionnaires at least once during the first 8 weeks, with >22 000 participants responding to seven questionnaires. Compiled questionnaire results are continuously updated and shared with the public through the Corona Barometer website. Early results included a clear signal that younger people living alone were experiencing greater levels of loneliness due to lockdown, and subsequent results showed the easing of anxiety as lockdown was eased in June 2020.Future plansQuestionnaires were sent on a (bi)weekly basis starting in March 2020 and on a monthly basis starting July 2020, with plans for new questionnaire rounds to continue through 2020 and early 2021. Questionnaire frequency can be increased again for subsequent waves of infections. Cohort data will be used to address how the COVID-19 pandemic developed in the northern provinces of the Netherlands, which environmental and genetic risk factors predict disease susceptibility and severity and the psychological and societal impacts of the crisis. Cohort data are linked to the extensive health, lifestyle and sociodemographic data held for these participants by Lifelines, a 30-year project that started in 2006, and to data about participants held in national databases.

Multiplying effects of COVID‐19 lockdown on metabolic risk and fatty liver

“…Previous studies exploring lifestyle and behavioural variations during the lockdown in European adults were conducted, in the majority of cases, at a national level (mainly in The Netherlands, 61,62 Spain, 42,52 Scotland, 53 Poland, 54 UK 55 Italy 41,56,63,64 . France, 57 Croatia, 58 Belgium 59 ), generally confirming the trend towards the unhealthy behaviours described in our study.…”

Design, implementation and initial findings of COVID-19 research in the Rotterdam Study: leveraging existing infrastructure for population-based investigations on an emerging disease

“…This report showcases the design, implementation and initial findings of a dedicated COVID-19 questionnaire nested within a prospective, population-based cohort study; the Rotterdam Study. Although numerous reports have been published on the prevalence and risk factors of COVID-19 in the general population, very little data comes from studies that are nested within ongoing cohorts [8,9]. Nesting (repeated) questionnaires within an ongoing cohort study has several major advantages over these 'stand-alone' questionnaires or registry studies.…”

Design, Implementation and Initial Findings of COVID-19 Research in the Rotterdam Study: Leveraging Existing Infrastructure for Population-Based Investigations on An Emerging Disease

“…Although numerous reports have been published on the prevalence and risk factors of COVID-19 in the general population, very little data comes from studies that are nested within ongoing cohorts. (8,9) Nesting (repeated) questionnaires within an ongoing cohort study has several major advantages over these 'stand-alone' questionnaires or registry studies. First, embedding a questionnaire in a closed populationbased cohort study facilitates assessment of a wide range of systematically collected determinants that predispose to SARS-CoV-2 contraction or transmission in the general population, such as genetic or lifestyle factors.…”