COVID-data

The Lifelines COVID-19 cohort collects data about factors relevant to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for >70.000 individuals living in the Northern Netherlands.

COVID-data

Since March 2020 thousands of Lifelines participants have regularly completed surveys on their physical and mental health, lifestyle and attitude in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. Because the participants have been contributing to Lifelines research since 2006, this project gives great opportunities for researchers. 

The answers of the participants can be linked to data from the Lifelines biobank to identify both hereditary and environmental factors that partially determine whether someone may fall seriously ill due to the coronavirus or simply develop mild symptoms.

We encourage researchers worldwide to use these data to gain insight into the risk factors, spreading and (longterm) consequences of the corona virus. 

Ilse Broeders gives a sneak preview of the COVID data

More than twenty-five questionnaires and counting

Digital questionnaires were sent out weekly and later bi-weekly and monthly. The first two questionnaires contain “baseline” questions to obtain important current basic characteristics of all respondents. All follow-up questionnaires contain a basic set of questions, complemented with a set of variable additional questions. Subsequenty several 'special' questionnaires were send out where new topics were added about e.g. corona adjustments policies, work, holidays and resilience.

Special COVID-fee

In 2021 and 2022 we temporarily offer our COVID-data for a special fee of € 2.900,- ex VAT for COVID related research proposals.

Joint initiative

The Lifelines coronavirus study is a joint initiative of the University Medical Center Groningen, the University of Groningen, the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health and the Lifelines biobank. It was partly made possible by the University of the North, a collective of Northern knowledge institutions. Lifelines director Bert-Jan Souman: “It is extraordinary to see what we have organized together at such short notice. We are joining forces to broaden our knowledge on the coronavirus and to contribute to society through scientific research.”