In addition to the personal interview, participants also complete a digital self-assessment during the examination phases. Furthermore, NAKO participants regularly complete questionnaires designed to capture lifestyle changes and health-related behaviors between examination phases. These include the 1st written health survey GEFU-1 (2016–2022) and 2nd written health survey GEFU-2 (2023–2027), as well as a follow-up questionnaire as second examination replacement for non-participants (GEFU-2U). They play a key role in keeping participant data current and supporting longitudinal analysis and cover topics like physical activity, nutrition, and vaccination history.
Touchscreen Interview and other Questionnaires
General Health
- Health-related quality of life
- Examples for generated data:
- General life and health satisfaction
- Physical functioning
- Role limitations (physical problems or emotional problems)
- Pain
- Emotional well-being
- Impact on social functioning
- Examples for generated data:
- Weight history
- Examples for generated data:
- Weight at age 10, 18, 30, 50
- Examples for generated data:
- Sleep habits
- Examples for generated data:
- Sleep timing
- Sleep quality & problems
- Sleep duration & structure
- Sleep-related conditions
- Examples for generated data:
- Pain assessment
- Examples for generated data:
- Pain within the last four weeks
- Examples for generated data:
- Physical fitness
- Examples for generated data:
- Activity-limiting symptoms (e.g. shortness of breath, breathlessness, exhaustion, chest pain)
- Examples for generated data:
Sociodemographics
- Sociodemographics and Social Network
- Examples for generated data:
- Social Network Index
- Close contacts
- Support availability
- Social group participation
- Examples for generated data:
Work, Employment & Education
- Work Environment
- Examples for generated data:
- Work demands
- Influence and control
- Social support
- Job security and uncertainty
- Organizational culture
- Work-life balance
- Structural changes at the workplace
- Examples for generated data:
- Professional Recognition
- Examples for generated data:
- ER ratio (ratio of the sum scores of stresses and rewards, multiplied by a correction factor that compensates for the unequal number of items)
- Examples for generated data:
- Job-Related Stress
- Examples for generated data:
- Exposure to occupational hazards
- Noise exposure at work
- Working hours
- Sickness presence/absence
- Examples for generated data:
Use of Medical Services
- Preventive check-ups
- Examples for generated data:
- Cancer Screening Participation (colorectal: stool test, colonoscopy; skin: mole check; breast: palpation, mammography; cervical: smear; prostate: digital exam, PSA test)
- Examples for generated data:
- Medical specialists and hospital stays
- Examples for generated data:
- Medical specialist visits (e.g. neurologist, psychiatrist/psychologist, urologist, dermatologist/allergist, dentist, gynaecologist)
- Inpatient care
- Outpatient hospital treatment
- Other healthcare providers (naturopath, physiotherapist)
- Examples for generated data:
- Accidents / bone fractures
- Health Insurance Status
Daily Activities and Leisure
- Daily activities
- Examples for generated data:
- Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
- Examples for generated data:
- Physical activity Questionnaire (QUAP)
- Examples for generated data:
- Occupational and Domestic Activity (Physical activity at work
- House/garden work)
- Active Transportation (Walking / cycling in summer/winter)
- Walking & Cycling for Leisure
- Sports Participation
- Stair Climbing
- Sedentary Behaviour
- Examples for generated data:
Nutrition
- Examples for generated data:
- Energy & Macronutrients
- Food Groups (e.g. vegetables, fruits, dairy, cereals, meat, fish, etc.)
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Fatty Acids (saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, omega-3/6, etc.)
- Amino Acids (essential and non-essential)
- Sugars and Carbohydrates (mono-, di-, polysaccharides, sugar alcohols, starches, fibres)
- Nutrition-Related Behaviours (e.g. dietary changes, food restrictions, food intolerance)
- Supplement Use (vitamins, minerals, herbal, other supplements)
- EPICSOFT Food Coding & Consumption Groups
Emotional Function and Personality
- Emotional function
- Examples for generated data:
- Childhood trauma
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Stress and panic symptoms
- Subjective memory impairment
- Examples for generated data:
- Personality
- Examples for generated data:
- Neuroticism
- Extraversion
- Openness
- Conscientiousness
- Compatibility
- Examples for generated data:
Family History
- Family anamnesis
- Examples for generated data:
- Parental diseases (diabetes, heart attack, stroke, asthma, Parkinson’s, dementia, depression, cancer, sudden cardiac death)
- Parental cancer types
- Examples for generated data:
- Early childhood factors
- Examples for generated data:
- Family structure
- Birth characteristics (premature birth, C-section, birth weight)
- Breastfeeding
- Contact with pets
- Rural exposure
- Early childhood care (kindergarten/nursery attendance, age at first visit)
- Sun exposure
- Perceived childhood environment (e.g. love, physical abuse, emotional neglect, sexual harassment, care access)
- Examples for generated data:
Family Planning (Men)
- Examples for generated data:
- Partnership and pregnancy planning
Lifestyle and Environment
- Contact with animals
- Examples for generated data:
- Regular contact with animals
- Current household pets
- Examples for generated data:
- Environmental influences
- Examples for generated data:
- Modes of transport
- Residential duration
- Perceived noise disturbance at night
- Examples for generated data:
Substance Use
- Alcohol use
- Examples for generated data:
- Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT-C score)
- Examples for generated data:
- Drug use
- Examples for generated data:
- Cannabis use
- Synthetic cannabinoids
- Stimulants and amphetamines
- Hallucinogens
- Opioids
- Cocaine and derivatives
- Examples for generated data:
- Smoking
- Examples for generated data:
- Smoking status & duration
- Examples for generated data:
Tattoos and Tanning behavior
- Examples for generated data:
- Tattoo color and total size
- Solarium use
Digestive Diseases
- Examples for generated data:
- Abdominal pain
- Irritable bowel syndrome
Infectious Diseases
- Examples for generated data:
- General infection susceptibility
- Infection types (Upper / lower respiratory tract infections, Gastrointestinal infections, Cystitis, Fever)
- Healthcare use due to infections
- Antibiotic use
- Influenza vaccination frequency
Respiratory Diseases
- Examples fo generated data:
- Respiratory symptoms
- Asthma history and management
- Chronic respiratory patterns
Neurological and Psychiatric Conditions
- Headaches
- Examples for generated data:
- Occurrence and duration
- Headache characteristics
- Associated symptoms
- Headache history and burden
- Pain severity
- Examples for generated data:
- Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
- Examples for generated data:
- RLS diagnosis
- RLS symptoms frequency and duration
- RLS family history
- Examples for generated data:
Cancer
- Examples for generated data:
- Affected organ
- Year of diagnosis
Senses (Vision & Hearing)
- Examples for generated data:
- Use of visual aids
- Diagnosed visual impairments
- Hearing difficulties
- Use of hearing aids or implants
- Tinnitus experience and distress
- Exposure to loud audio sources
Dental Health
- Examples for generated data:
- Diagnosed oral conditions
- Current oral symptoms
- Impact on daily life and well-being
Written follow-up questionnaires
General Health
- General questions
- Examples for generated data:
- Body Measurements
- Family status, Children
- Tobacco use history and smoking details
- Examples for generated data:
Use of Medical Services
- Medical specialists and hospital stays
- Examples for generated data:
- Medical specialist visits (e.g. neurologist, psychiatrist/psychologist, urologist, dermatologist / allergist, dentist, gynaecologist)
- Inpatient care
- Examples for generated data:
- Preventive check-ups
- Examples for generated data:
- Cancer Screening Participation (colorectal: stool test, colonoscopy; skin: mole check; breast: palpation, mammography; cervical: smear; prostate: digital exam, PSA test)
- Examples for generated data:
- Medication intake
- Examples for generated data:
- Medication Name and Identification
- Intake Pattern
- Prescription Status
- Examples for generated data:
- Vaccination Data
- Examples for generated data:
- Vaccination Date & Documentation
- Vaccine Characteristics (e.g. oral, trivalent, active/passive, dead/live, injection)
- Vaccine Identification (e.g. batch number, notes, year suspicion)
- Vaccinated Diseases (e.g. Tetanus, Hepatitis, Influenza, Mumps, Measles, etc.)
- Immunisation Status
- Examples for generated data:
Digestive and Metabolic Diseases
- Examples for generated data:
- Frequent heartburn
- Chronic gastritis
- Stomach ulcer / duodenal ulcer
- Ulcerative colitis / Crohn’s disease
- Sprue (gluten intolerance)
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Pancreatitis
- Liver cirrhosis
- Fatty liver
- Functional impairment of the kidney
Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases
- Cardiovascular health
- Cardiovascular diseases (e.g. heart attack, arrhythmias, stroke, angina pectoris, thrombosis, hypertension)
- Cardiac procedures
- Metabolic health
- Examples for generated data:
- Diabetes Treatment, year of diagnosis
- Examples for generated data:
Infectious Diseases
- Infections
- Severe acute respiratory infection
- Diagnosed infectious diseases (Periodontitis / periodontosis, Shingles (herpes zoster), Lyme disease, Sepsis, Postoperative wound infection, Genital warts)
- Blood transfusion since last interview
- COVID-19
- Infection history and symptoms
- Testing, positive results, medical treatment
- Vaccination history and vaccine type
- Long-COVID symptoms
Respiratory Diseases and Allergies
- Examples for generated data:
- General Respiratory Complaints
- Asthma
- COPD
- Emphysema
- Chronic Inflammation
- Pulmonary Embolism
- Sleep Apnoea
- Allergies (Hay fever, Animal hair allergy, Food allergy, Dust mite allergy, Pollen allergy, Contact allergy, Medication allergy)
Neurological and Psychiatric Diseases
- Examples for generated data:
- Migraine
- Depression
- Anxiety disorder / panic attack
- Seizure / epileptic seizure
- Multiple sclerosis
- Parkinson’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease / Dementia
Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Examples for generated data:
- Fractures (by location)
- Other musculoskeletal diagnoses (Chronic back pain, Osteoporosis, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Arthrosis, Rheumatic joint diseases)
Women’s Health
- Examples for generated data:
- Menopause status
- Hormonal contraception methods and durations
- Hormone replacement therapyns
- Gynecological & Reproductive Health (PCOS, endometriosis, HPV)
