Since this study first defined a population that does not share a common characteristic or exposure, it is possible to test many of them. The Framingham study specifically looked at smoking, obesity, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and levels of physical activity in relation to congenital heart disease. 

University of Pittsburgh

One of the most well-known cohort studies, the Framingham Study looked at cardiovascular disease in the town of around 30,000 inhabitants in 1948. The study involved 5,127 men and women between the ages of 30 and 62 who did not have cardiovascular disease at the beginning of the study. Participants were followed up every 2 years while the hospital in Framingham kept note of daily hospitalizations, meaning it was a prospective cohort study.


Example of Cohort Study - Framingham Study

Gordis, L. (2008). Cohort Studies. In Epidemiology (4th ed., pp. 167-175). Philadephia, PA: Saunders Elsevier.

Cohort Studies Reference

The study discovered many of the exposures that result in a greater risk of CHD that we know today. Among the discoveries are:
 - As age increased, the rate of congenital heart disease increased.
 - People with hypertension, high blood cholesterol level, smoked and regularly consumed alcohol, or were obese had CHD at a greater frequency or were at greater risk than those who did not.
 - Higher levels of physical activity was associated with a lower risk of CHD.


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