The Netherlands Cohorts Consortium (NCC) will receive an infrastructure subsidy of 17 million euros for a large-scale study into healthy ageing. Through its Doetinchem Cohort Study, RIVM is one of the partners in the NCC. This investment will allow RIVM, almost all university medical centres and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam to join forces and form a single national cohort: a unique research infrastructure containing the data of nearly half a million people in the Netherlands.
The Doetinchem Cohort Study
The NCC unites the largest population cohorts in the Netherlands, including the Doetinchem Cohort Study. With this study, RIVM has been conducting research into a large number of people over the course of their lives for almost 40 years. Topics covered by the study include:
- llifestyle, health and illnesses
- health inequalities between men and women
- cognitive decline and dementia
- the use and costs of care
This study provides starting points for prevention and helps RIVM give better advice to policymakers and professionals.
Vast knowledge base
For RIVM, the NCC subsidy provides a valuable contribution to improving cooperation and making better use of the Dutch cohort data. This infrastructure subsidy will make it possible to merge data sets into a coherent knowledge base on health, lifestyle, the environment and ageing. As a result, the consortium will be able to conduct large-scale studies into the mechanics and causes of healthy ageing and investigate how to prevent illness and disease. The focus in this regard will be on multi-morbidity (i.e. the comorbidity of multiple chronic conditions) and new health risks, such as emerging infectious diseases.