CARTaGENE
CARTaGENE is a prospective cohort study collecting data for the investigation of modifiable environmental and lifestyle factors and the genomic determinants of chronic diseases in Quebec, Canada.
Overview
- Acronym
- CaG
- Website
- CaG
- Investigators
-
- Contacts
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General Design
- Study design
- Cohort
- Start - End Year
- 2009 -
- General Information on Follow Up (profile, frequency)
-
The first recruitment phase took place between July 2009 and March 2011, followed by additional data collections in 2009–2014 (BALSAC collaboration), 2011, and 2012. A second recruitment phase occurred from November 2012 to February 2015. Participants were subsequently followed up in 2015–2017, 2016–2019, and through multiple COVID-19 follow-ups conducted in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
- Recruitment Target
-
- Individuals
- Number of Participants
- 43,034
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 30,226
Access
Availability of data and biosamples
| Possible Access to Data | |
| Possible Access to Biosamples | |
| Other |
|
* Genetic data (Genotyping, RNA-sequencing, Whole genome sequencing) * Medical imaging (brain and heart MRI, ECG)
To complete a data access request: https://sdas.cartagene.qc.ca/ If you have any question regarding access to CaG data and biosamples, please contact the access office.
- On the study website : http://www.cartagene.qc.ca/en
- By contacting the study representative: Access coordinator (CARTaGENE – CHU Sainte-Justine)
Sector of research
| Possible Access to Data | Possible Access to Biosamples | |
| Investigators from the public sector | ||
| Investigators from the private sector | ||
| Investigators from not-for-profit organization |
Transfer
| Possible Access to Data | Possible Access to Biosamples | |
| Can leave the study facility | ||
| Can leave the country |
Cost
| Possible Access to Data | Fixed Cost |
| Possible Access to Biosamples | Fixed Cost |
Cost reduction for co-analyses
| Possible Access to Data | |
| Possible Access to Biosamples |
Marker Papers
Awadalla P, Boileau C, Payette Y, et al. Cohort profile of the CARTaGENE study: Quebec's population-based biobank for public health and personalized genomics. Int J Epidemiol, 2013; 42:1285-1299.
PUBMED 23071140Supplementary Information
Some follow-ups are led directly by the CARTaGENE team, while others are conducted in collaboration with external research groups focusing on specific scientific themes.
**BALSAC collaboration**
* One of these collaborations involves the BALSAC population registry, a genealogical dataset developed at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. During both recruitment phases, participants were invited to complete the BALSAC genealogical questionnaire. A second phase of data collection was carried out in 2024 for participants who had not completed the questionnaire at baseline.
**CAHHM collaboration**
* Another collaboration is with the Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds (CAHHM), a project aiming to understand the association of socio-environmental and contextual factors with cardiovascular risk factors, subclinical vascular disease, and cardiovascular and other chronic disease outcomes. Only a subset of participants residing in Montreal and Quebec were invited to take part in this data collection. **The corresponding data dictionary is available in the “Documents” section below.**
Timeline
Population
CaG population
The CaG cohort consists of men and women aged between 40 and 69 years and residing in metropolitan areas of Quebec at the time of recruitment.
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
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40
- Maximum age
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69
- Countries
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- Canada
- Canadian Provinces
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- Quebec
- Territory
- Montreal, Quebec, Sherbrooke and Saguenay for recruitment phase A. Trois-Rivières and Gatineau were added for recruitment phase B.
- Other Criteria
- Participants were excluded if they were not registered in the FIPA files, if they resided outside the selected regions, lived in First Nations Reserves or long-term healthcare facilities or were in prison.
Sources of Recruitment
- General Population
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- Selected sample
- Random digit dialing
- Supplementary Information
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Participants were randomly chosen to be broadly representative of the population based on provincial health insurance registries—FIPA files (fichier administratif des inscriptions des personnes assurées de la Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ)).
Sample Size
- Number of Participants
- 43,034
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 30,226
- Supplementary information about number of participants
-
Recruitment (2009): 19,985 participants
BALSAC collaboration (2009): 11,467 participants
Residential history (2011): 11,653 participants
Occupational history (2011): 10,891 participants
Nutrition (2012): 10,073 participants
Recruitment (2012): 23,049 participants
CAHHM collaboration (2015): 1,746 participants
Health follow-up (2016): 17,004 participants
COVID-19 (2020-06): 8,187 participants
COVID-19 (2021-03): 6,264 participants
COVID-19 (2021-10): 672 participants
COVID-19 (2022-03): 3,253 participants
COVID-19 (2022-04): 580 participants
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Data sources | Data sources - Biosamples | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | CaG - Recruitment - 2009 |
|
|
2009 (July) | 2011 (March) |
| 1 | CaG - BALSAC collaboration - 2009 |
|
2009 (July) | 2024 (June) | |
| 2 | CaG - Occupational and residential history - 2011 |
|
2011 | 2011 | |
| 3 | CaG - Nutrition - 2012 |
|
2012 | 2012 | |
| 4 | CaG - Recruitment - 2012 |
|
|
2012 (November) | 2015 (February) |
| 5 | CaG - CAHHM collaboration - 2015 |
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|
2015 (March) | 2017 (July) |
| 6 | CaG - Health follow-up - 2016 |
|
2016 (December) | 2019 (August) | |
| 7 | CaG - COVID-19 - 2020-06 |
|
2020 (June) | 2020 (July) | |
| 8 | CaG - COVID-19 - 2021-03 |
|
|
2021 (March) | 2021 (May) |
| 9 | CaG - COVID-19 - 2021-10 |
|
|
2021 (October) | 2021 (December) |
| 10 | CaG - COVID-19 - 2022-03 |
|
|
2022 (March) | 2022 (July) |
| 11 | CaG - COVID-19 - 2022-04 |
|
|
2022 (April) | 2022 (June) |
Participating Studies
| Acronym | Name | Study design | Countries |
|---|
Harmonization Initiatives Included
| Acronym | Name |
|---|
Datasets
| Name | Data Collection Events | Variables |
|---|
Areas of Information Collected
- Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
- Death
- Lifestyle and behaviours
- Physical measures and assessments
- Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
- Laboratory measures
- Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
- Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
- Diseases
- Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
- Symptoms and signs
- Preschool, school and work life
- Medication and supplements
- Social environment and relationships
- Non-pharmacological interventions
- Physical environment
- Health and community care services utilization
- Administrative information
Variables Content Summary
Areas of Information Collected
No Areas of Information Collected
No Scales Collected
Areas of Information Collected per per Population and Data Collection Event
No Areas of Information Collected
No Scales Collected
Networks
| Acronym | Name | Harmonization Initiatives | Individual Studies |
|---|
Last Update: 2025-10-29T14:56:03.108