Cohort Descriptives
| Variable | Response |
|---|---|
| Cohort Name | The Airwave Health Monitoring Study |
| Cohort Acronym | Airwave |
| DOI | Elliot, P. (2017). Airwave [Data set]. Dementias Platform UK. https://doi.org/10.48532/002000 |
| Study Overview | The Airwave Health Monitoring Study was established to evaluate possible health risks associated with the use of TETRA, a digital communication system used by the police forces and other emergency services in Great Britain since 2001. It is a long-term observational study following up the health of the police force with respect to TETRA exposure, and ability to monitor both cancer and non-cancer health outcomes. Baseline screening consisted of an enrolment questionnaire and a health screening. |
| #Subjects at Baseline | c.55,000 completed the enrolment questionnaire, of which c.46,000 have also completed the health screening. |
| Institution Name | Imperial College London |
| Department Name | Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics School of Public Health |
| City | London |
| Study/Database Website | |
| Principal Investigator (PI) | Prof Paul Elliott |
| Key Study References | |
| Population Based Study? | Yes |
| Family Based Study? | No |
| Clinical based sample? | No |
| Is there follow-up data available? | No |
| Were participants included prior to development of dementia (may refer to controls only)? | Yes |
| Were participants included prior to development of MCI (may refer to controls only)? | Yes |
| How is data collected? | Combination: In the first phase, every employee receives the enrolment (paper) questionnaire via routine administration or the occupational health service. This questionnaire is scanned and data received at Imperial College. |
| Who carries out data collection? | Interviewers: Clinical staff: Nursing staff were involved although the questionnaires were carried out themselves. |
| Does this take place in participants' homes or at a central location? | Home: Central: Paper questionnaires were sent out by each force to the home or office of employees and clinics were performed regionally. |
| Do participants take part individually or are families/partners involved? | Individually |
| Dementia cases ascertained as part of study: | No |
| Diagnosis based on review of existing clinical data | No |
| Was diagnosis/primary outcomes made blind to exposure variables? | No |
| How many times followed up? | 2 |
| Study start date | 01/01/2004 00:00:00 |
| Is study ongoing? | Yes |
| Is study still recruiting? | No |
| Inclusion criteria | Baseline: people employed in the police force across the UK. Follow up: anyone who completed the health screening at Baseline and consents to long-term follow up from medical records. |
| Exclusion criteria | Baseline: people unable to consent. Follow up: anyone who has filled in the enrolment questionnaire but not had the health screening, and/or who does not consent to long-term follow up from medical records. |
| Exclusion criteria |
Administration
| Variable type |
|---|
| Age At Screen |
| Country (England, Wales, Scotland) At Enrolment |
| Current Rank In The Force |
| Date Of Birth Of Spouse/Partner |
| Date Of Screening |
| Five Digit Barcode Number |
| Gender Of Participant |
| Participant Number |
| Questionnaire Version |
Sociodemographic
| Sub-category | Variable type | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Deprivation | Number of people (including self) contribute to total household income | Y |
| Deprivation | Total income (including self) household received in the last 12 months | Y |
| Deprivation | Total personal annual income received before tax | Y |
| Education | Highest level of education completed to date | Y |
| Employment | Year of joining the police force | Y |
| Employment | Years in current role | Y |
| Ethnicity | Ethnic origin | Y |
| Marital Status | Marital Status | Y |
Family History
| Sub-category | Variable type | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Father | Age of father at death | Y |
| Father | Cause of father's death | Y |
| Father | Whether biological father is still alive | Y |
| Mother | Age of mother at death | Y |
| Mother | Cause of mother's death | Y |
| Mother | Whether biological mother is still alive | Y |
Physical Health Status
| Sub-category | Variable type | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Cancer | Cancer diagnosis | Y |
| Cancer | Type of diagnosed cancer | Y |
| Cardiothoracic | Angina | Y |
| Cardiothoracic | Heart attack | Y |
| Cardiothoracic | High blood pressure | Y |
| Cardiothoracic | High cholesterol | Y |
| Cardiothoracic | Hypertension | Y |
| Cardiothoracic | Other heart conditions | Y |
| Cerebrovascular | Stroke | Y |
| ENT | Deafness/partial hearing loss | Y |
| Eyes | Cataracts | Y |
| Eyes | Glaucoma | Y |
| General Health | Other conditions | Y |
| Immunological | Thyroid problems | Y |
| Neurological | Epilepsy | Y |
| Pain | Any pain/discomfort in chest in the past year | Y |
| Pain | Bothersome (moderate/severe) headaches | Y |
| Pain | Pain/discomfort goes away when standing still | Y |
| Reproductive | Any disease/condition or medical/surgical treatment that makes it difficult/impossible to have children | Y |
| Respiratory | Asthma | Y |
| Respiratory | COPD | Y |
| Rheumatology | Arthritis | Y |
Reproductive History
| Sub-category | Variable type | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Female | Age when had HRT | Y |
| Female | Age when periods started/stopped | Y |
| Female | Ever/number of times been pregnant | Y |
| Female | Ever had HRT | Y |
| Female | Ever taken birth control | Y |
| Female | Menopause/periods stopped | Y |
| Female | Number of babies | Y |
| Female | Number of pregnancy attempts | Y |
| Female | Reason for end of pregnancy | Y |
| Female | Regular smoker before first pregnancy/during pregnancy attempts | Y |
| Female | Sex/weight of baby | Y |
| Female | Treatment received for infertility | Y |
| Female | Year when pregnancy ended/is due to end | Y |
| Male | Ever/number of times fathered a child | Y |
Mental Health Status
| Sub-category | Variable type | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation | Medical or other professional help sought to cope with disturbing incident | Y |
| Mood | Bothered by a disturbing incident which has occurred over the past 6 months | Y |
| Mood | Bothered by feeling depressed/hopeless in past 2 weeks | Y |
| Mood | Depression | Y |
| Mood | Feel bad about self/letting down family in past 2 weeks | Y |
| Mood | Feeling frightened as if something awful is about to happen in past 2 weeks | Y |
| Mood | Feeling tense/wound up in past 2 weeks | Y |
| Mood | Worrying thoughts in past 2 weeks | Y |
| Trauma | Been jumpy/startled at the unexpected following traumatic events | Y |
| Trauma | Bothered by being upset by reminders of traumtic event | Y |
| Trauma | Bothered by difficulty concentrating following traumatic events | Y |
| Trauma | Bothered by recurrence of upsetting thoughts/memories following traumatic events | Y |
Cognition
| Sub-category | Variable type | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Performance | Fluid intelligence | Y |
| Cognitive Performance | Paired associate learning | Y |
| Cognitive Performance | Stroop test | Y |
| Cognitive Performance | Two choice reaction time | Y |
| Cognitive Performance | Working memory test - forward digit span | Y |
| Cognitive Status | Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease | Y |
| Cognitive Status | Year of diagnosis of Parkinson's | Y |
Lifestyle
| Sub-category | Variable type | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol | Current alcohol drinker | Y |
| Alcohol | Past drinking habits | Y |
| Alcohol | Reasons for stopping/reducing drinking alcohol | Y |
| Alcohol | Six or more drinks on one occasion | Y |
| Alcohol | Type of drinks consumed in the past seven days | Y |
| Alcohol | Year stopped drinking alcohol | Y |
| Diet | Amount and type of fruit/vegetables consumed | Y |
| Diet | Amount of coffee per day | Y |
| Diet | Amount of tea per day | Y |
| Diet | Days per week eating fruit/vegetables | Y |
| Diet | Following any special kind of diet | Y |
| Diet | Number of fizzy drinks per day | Y |
| Diet | Nut intake | Y |
| Digital Technology | Amount of time spent using hands-free equipment/handset while talking on mobile phone | Y |
| Digital Technology | Frequency of moving the mobile phone from ear to ear during calls | Y |
| Digital Technology | Hours spent watching television in past week | Y |
| Digital Technology | Symptoms experienced while using/shortly after using mobile phone | Y |
| Digital Technology | Total duration of phone calls made and received on mobile phone in past 24 hours | Y |
| Digital Technology | Uses hands-free equipment/headset with mobile phone | Y |
| Digital Technology | Uses mobile phone | Y |
| Physical | Number of days in past week walked for at least 10 minutes | Y |
| Physical | Time spent doing moderate physical activities on one day in past week | Y |
| Physical | Time spent doing vigorous physical activities on one day in past week | Y |
| Smoking | Number of cigarettes per day (past/present) | Y |
| Smoking | Year started/stopped smoking | Y |
Physical Examination
| Sub-category | Variable type | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropometry | BMI | Y |
| Anthropometry | Body type | Y |
| Anthropometry | Fat percentage | Y |
| Anthropometry | Height | Y |
| Anthropometry | Hip girth | Y |
| Anthropometry | Impedance | Y |
| Anthropometry | Sitting height | Y |
| Anthropometry | Weight | Y |
| Heart | ECG | Y |
| Heart | Pulse wave | Y |
| Heart | Sitting/standing blood pressure | Y |
| Heart | Sitting/standing pulse | Y |
Biosample Assays
| Sub-category | Variable type | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Biochemistry | Albumin | Y |
| Biochemistry | Apolipoprotein A | Y |
| Biochemistry | Apolipoprotein B | Y |
| Biochemistry | Bilirubin | Y |
| Biochemistry | Calcium | Y |
| Biochemistry | Cholesterol | Y |
| Biochemistry | Creatinine | Y |
| Biochemistry | Fibrinogen | Y |
| Biochemistry | Glucose | Y |
| Biochemistry | HDL | Y |
| Biochemistry | Potassium | Y |
| Biochemistry | Sodium | Y |
| Biochemistry | Urine | Y |
| Haematology | Haematocrit | Y |
| Haematology | Haemoglobin | Y |
| Haematology | Platelets | Y |
| Haematology | Red/white blood cell count | Y |
Metabolomics
| Sub-category | Variable type | Baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Gene Based | Hannum epigenetic age | Y |
| Gene Based | Hannum intrinsic/extrinsic epigenetic age acceleration | Y |
| Gene Based | Horvath epigenetic age | Y |
| Gene Based | Horvath intrinsic/extrinsic epigenetic age acceleration | Y |
| Gene Based | Houseman WBC estimates | Y |
| Gene Based | Levine epigenetic age | Y |
| Gene Based | Levine intrinsic/extrinsic epigenetic age acceleration | Y |
Genomics
| Variable type |
|---|