The Trøndelag Health Study (The HUNT Study) is a cohort health study performed in the Norwegian county of Trøndelag. HUNT is considered one of the most extensive cohort studies ever conducted in any country. The HUNT Research Centre, which is responsible for collecting and providing access to the data and samples from the study, is part of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). The study was primarily set up to address arterial hypertension, diabetes, screening of tuberculosis, and quality of life. However, the scope has expanded over time. The population based surveys now contribute to important knowledge regarding health related lifestyle, prevalence and incidence of somatic and mental illness and disease, health determinants, and associations between disease phenotypes and genotypes. Participants may be linked in families and followed up longitudinally between the surveys and in several national health- and other registers covering the total population. The HUNT Study includes data from questionnaires, interviews, clinical measurements and biological samples (blood and urine). The questionnaires include questions on socioeconomic conditions, health related behaviours, symptoms, illnesses and diseases. From the beginning, in 1984, every citizen of Nord-Trøndelag being 20 years or older, have been invited to all the surveys for adults, and more than 80% of the population (n=130,000) participated. The population of Nord-Trøndelag was both homogeneous and stable, making it especially suited for epidemiological genetic research. HUNT contains a unique database of personal and family medical histories collected during four surveys (HUNT1, 2, 3 and 4) since 1984. On January 1, 2018, the two counties Sør-Trøndelag and Nord-Trøndelag were merged into one county: Trøndelag, and from the fall of 2019, HUNT was expanded to include the entire county. As of 2017, 170 ph.ds and about 1,700 scientific articles were based on the HUNT material. New articles published in 2017 alone were 110. In 2017 The HUNT Study was awarded the Karl Evang Prize. This Norwegian prize was established in 1981, as a tribute to the former Director of Health, Karl Evang, for his social-medical pioneering efforts. The aim of the award is to stimulate interest and the work for public health and social conditions that have significance for this.
Access to the HUNT data
The HUNT Research Centre is divided into a biological repository (HUNT Biobank) and a database made up by more than 5,500 variables (HUNT Databank). Data from the HUNT Study are available to institutions and researchers who satisfy some basic requirements, whether affiliated in Norway or abroad. Any institution with research skills can apply for permission to analyze HUNT data. Each project must be approved by the Regional Committee for Medical Research Ethics ( REK). If data from sources that are not regulated by the Health Research Act are used, the project must also be reported to the Privacy Ombudsman for Research (NSD). The project manager should be familiar with the HUNT database and select the relevant variables.
The HUNT surveys
HUNT1 (1984–1986) HUNT1, the first of the major health surveys, was conducted from 1984 to 1986, to establish the health history of 75,000 people. All residents in Nord-Trøndelag, 20 years and older, were invited to the study, and 74,599 people, 20 years and older, participated (88.1% of the county's population). The participants filled out two questionnaires. The main objective was to investigate the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes in the population, and to evaluate the quality of treatment for blood pressure patients, people with diabetes, and people with tuberculosis. Blood pressure, height, weight, and X-rays of the chest were collected. HUNT1 was the first health survey in Nord-Trøndelag, and consisted mainly of four sub-studies whose subjects were blood pressure, diabetes, lung disease and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, and to evaluate the quality of life in people with high blood pressure, people with diabetes and people with tuberculosis. Non-fasting blood glucose levels were measured in all participants over 40 years. If the results of this investigation indicated diabetes, the participant was offered a clinical examination as well. Blood samples were not taken in this study. A comprehensive dropout study was also conducted. At present (2020), the database is a valuable resource for epidemiological research, both in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and quality of life. Studies of cancer and public health have also been performed on this material, and research from HUNT1 data is still ongoing.
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