Online Databases

These databases are of potential interest to diabetes investigators

Freely downloadable from the WWW, no permission required:

NHANES series - cross-sectional probability based survey of the U.S. population including medical history; physical examination; laboratory analysis including, for example, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, C-peptide, lipid measurements; other measurements such as DEXA. Typically includes thousands of subjects.

NHANES tips:
- Find someone who has used these databases before. There are issues that need to be overcome including understanding data coding, limitations, and the need for specialized statistical software for complex surveys.
- Take the online NHANES tutorial.
NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study - prospective data over 20 years on 14,407 persons, 4 follow-up examinations primarily interview based and mainly assessing self-reported medical morbidities and mortality.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) - annual telephone survey to assess health status and behavioral risk factors of hundreds of thousands of persons across the U.S. (n= 300,000 in 2006). Self-report of diabetes, height, and weight are usually included.

Permission required for access:

Framingham Heart Study - DNA and other genetic materials are available. An application process is outlined at the following link.
CARDIA - a prospective study of the development of coronary artery disease in young adults initially ages 18-30 years. Includes assessments of fasting insulin and an oral glucose tolerance test.
DCCT/EDIC
CHS - prospective study of risk factors for cardiovascular disease among persons 65 year of age or older.