What’s available for the BC Generations Project?
Questionnaire Data
Baseline Questionnaires: (BL-HLQ)
- Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire
- For Men* (Phase 1: 2009 – 2010)
- For Women* (Phase 1: 2009 – 2010)
- Core Questionnaire for Women and Men (Phase 2: 2011 – 2016)
- Medical History Questionnaire* (Phase 1: 2009 – 2010)
*Not all the questions asked are available for release at this time.
Follow-Up Questionnaires:
- Residential History Questionnaire (RHQ; 2015 – 2016)
- Follow-Up Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire (F1-HLQ; 2016 – 2017)
- CanPath COVID-19 Questionnaire (COVID-19; 2020)
- CanPath COVID-19 Antibody Study Questionnaire (COVID-19_SERO; 2021)
Biosamples and Physical Measures:
Biosample and Physical Measures were collected through multiple factors:
- Diamond Assessment Centre (Vancouver)
- In 2009, a subset of participant visited the Diamond Health Care Centre in Vancouver, and provided a series of physical measures, blood and urine samples. This assessment centre closed in 2010.
- Local study centres
- The BCGP hosted a series of temporary assessment centres across BC, where men and women regardless of their health history were invited and enrolled by completing self- and interviewer-administered questionnaires, and provided a number of physical measures.
- Participants were then provided a lab requisition to bring to a commercial community medical laboratory to provide their blood and urine samples.
- Commercial Community Laboratories
- Through a partnership with LifeLabs Medical Laboratories, BioMedical Laboratories and Valley Medical Laboratories, the BC Generations Project was able to offer participants the ability to donate blood and urine samples at over 100 locations through the province of British Columbia.
The number of aliquots and volume/quantity vary by sample type.
Visit Name | Collection Timeframe | Sample Type | ~Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
Baseline | 2009 – 2016 | Plasma | 26,402 |
Baseline | 2009 – 2016 | Buffy Coat | 26,391 |
Baseline | 2009 – 2016 | Serum | 26,407 |
Baseline | 2009 – 2016 | Red Blood Cells | 26,400 |
Baseline | 2009 – 2013 | Whole Blood in 10% DMSO | 15,789 |
Baseline | 2009 – 2015 | DNA | 8,107 |
Baseline | 2009 – 2016 | Urine | 26,380 |
Ancillary | 2016 – 2018 | Plasma | 1,064 |
Ancillary | 2021 | Dried Blood Spots | 3,871 |
Here are the summaries of the data and biosamples currently available from the British Columbia’s Generations Project (BCGP). New data are updated annually, so check back for updates!
Questionnaire Completions
Last Updated: September 05, 2023
Qx Type | Completion Period | Completion | Completion(s) and Provided Blood Sample1 | Completion(s) and Diagnosed with Cancer2 | Completion(s), Provided Blood Sample and then Diagnosed With Cancer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BL-HLQ | 2009 – 2015 | 29,251 | 26,097 | 4,555 | 1,858 |
RHQ | 2015 – 2016 | 21,632 | 20,462 | 3,499 | 1,440 |
F1-HLQ | 2016 – 2017 | 22,642 | 21,358 | 3,612 | 1,494 |
BL-HLQ, F1-HLQ | 2009 – 2017 | 22,504 | 21,227 | 3,983 | 1,502 |
COVID-19 | 2020 | 17,661 | 16,609 | 2,882 | 1,055 |
COVID-19_SERO | T1: 2021 | T1: | T1: | T1: | T1: |
Notes:
- Majority of blood samples were collected between 2009 and 2016
- Numbers reflect first primary/metastatic cancers only, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer. Data obtained via annual linkage with the British Columbia Cancer Registry.
Summary of Cancers1 Diagnosed in BC Generations Project Participants
*Linkage to the BC Cancer Registry
Last Updated: September 24, 2024
Cancer Type | Male | Female | Participants who provided sample and then diagnosed with cancer | Participants who were diagnosed with cancer and then provide a sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|
All Other Cancers | 99 | 220 | 148 | 120 |
Bladder (in-situ) | 67 | 51 | 66 | 41 |
Bladder (invasive) | 38 | 17 | 21 | 30 |
Body of Uterus | – | 243 | 88 | 127 |
Brain | 25 | 25 | 23 | 15 |
Breast | <5 | 1,400 | 438 | 804 |
Cervix | – | 51 | 5 | 43 |
Colorectal | 200 | 250 | 229 | 229 |
Esophagus | 11 | <5 | 24 | <5 |
Head and Neck | 69 | 46 | 41 | 64 |
Hodgkin Lymphoma | 20 | 33 | <5 | 43 |
Kidney | 47 | 46 | 45 | 40 |
Leukemia | 47 | 65 | 46 | 53 |
Liver | 15 | 8 | 13 | 7 |
Lung | 70 | 162 | 134 | 57 |
Melanoma (Skin) | 146 | 259 | 121 | 231 |
Multiple Myeloma | 32 | 29 | 36 | 19 |
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma | 114 | 160 | 77 | 171 |
Ovary | – | 82 | 32 | 46 |
Pancreas | 23 | 52 | 51 | 7 |
Prostate | 692 | – | 268 | 352 |
Stomach | 25 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
Testis | 43 | – | <5 | 37 |
Thyroid | 21 | 117 | 27 | 100 |
Notes
1First Incident Primary Metastatic Cancer linked with the BC Cancer Registry, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer.
Type | Questionnaire / Source | Description | Variables | Date Range | Data Dictionary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baseline Questionnaire | CORE Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire (BL-HLQ) | This dataset contains the CORE harmonized variables from the Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire collected at baseline about personal and family health history, current medication use, cancer screening behaviour, reproductive health, smoking, sun exposure, alcohol use, food consumption, physical activity, sleep, body measurements, ethnicity and demographic characteristics. | 820 | 2009 – 2016 | |
Baseline Questionnaire | Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire – Additional Diseases (BL-HLQ-ADD) | This dataset contains the harmonized variables completed in the Medical History Questionnaire (personal and family history of diseases) collected from the Opal version at baseline.. | 76 | 2009 – 2010 | |
Baseline Questionnaire | Physical Measurements (BL-PM) | Participants who attended an assessment centre had several measurements taken during their visit. These include: blood pressure, heart rate, sitting height, standing height, waist and hip circumferences, grip strength, weight and bioimpedence. | 28 | 2009 – 2013 | |
Baseline Questionnaire | Biosample: Sample Donation Questionnaire (SDQ)[JC1] | This questionnaire is collected alongside biosamples that includes information on consumption of food or drink 24 hours prior to donation, use of caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco 24 prior to biosample collection, occurrence of blood transfusion, chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment, pregnancy indicators. | 14 | 2009 – 2016 | |
Follow-Up Questionnaire | Residential History Questionnaire (RHQ) | This questionnaire asked about the history of places where the participant resided in for at least 3 months or longer. Questions asked include, the location of the residential homes, duration spent annually at the home, type of housing, heat and water sources. | 21 | 2015 – 2016 | |
Follow-Up Questionnaire | Follow-Up Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire (F1-HLQ) | This questionnaire is based on the baseline CORE Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire, with the addition of questions on mental health and use of pain relievers. | 843 | 2016 – 2017 | |
Follow-Up Questionnaire | COVID-19 Questionnaire (COVID19) | This dataset contains the harmonized variables from the COVID-19 Questionnaire collected from July – October 2020. Information includes: socio-demographic and economic characteristics, alcohol use, tobacco use, COVID-19 symptoms and diagnosis, COVID-19 exposure, personal history of diseases, use of prescription, impact of the pandemic on job status, mental, emotional, and social well-being (GAD-7, PHQ-9), self-reported physical measures | 487 | 2020 | |
Follow-Up Questionnaire | COVID-19 Antibody Study Questionnaire (COVID19_SERO) | This dataset contains the harmonized variables from the COVID-19 Antibody Questionnaire collected from March – June 2021. This questionnaire only focused on a subset of participant from the BCGP/CanPath Antibody Study. Information includes: socio-demographic and economic characteristics, alcohol use, tobacco use, COVID-19 symptoms and diagnosis, COVID-19 exposure, personal history of diseases, use of prescription, impact of the pandemic on job status, mental, emotional, and social well-being (GAD-7, PHQ-9), self-reported physical measures | 644 | 2021 | |
Other Datasets | BC Cancer Registry (BCCR) – Limited Variables | BCGP receives linked data annually from BC Cancer Registry for participants who consent to data linkage. | 16 | 2023 | |
Other Datasets | Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE) | The Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE) collates and generates standardized environmental data including sociodemographic conditions, air and noise pollution, land use, green/natural spaces, climate change/extreme weather. CANUR exposure datasets have been merged with the harmonized CanPATH dataset using participants’ 6-digit postal codes reported during the questionnaire completion, as well as residential postal obtained from tax records provided from Statistics Canada (SDLE). Note: Only available for researchers affiliated at institutions that are part of the SMART Consortium. More information including data use and required acknowledgements available on CANUE data portal. | 311 | 2009 – 2016 | |
Other Datasets | Canadian Alliance of Healthy Hearts and Minds (CAHHM) | The Canadian Alliance for Healthy Hearts and Minds (CAHHM) aims to better understand the early causes and risk factors, as well the association of socio-environmental and contextual factors of heart disease, stroke, and brain disorders. CAHHM brings together participants from 5 CanPath cohorts (including BCGP), the Canadian arms of the PURE Study, the Montreal Institute (MHI) Biobank, and First Nations. CAHHM data on more than 600 BCGP participants is now available to access. The dataset includes information on: Individual’s cancer and cardiovascular risk factors, health behaviours including dietary assessments, physical activity and smoking, and social factors, community factors (Individual Perception Measure of cognitive function using Digit Symbol Substitution (DSS) text and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Physical measures (height, weight, percent body fat using the Tanita BIA machine, waist circumference, hip circumference, resting heart rate, and blood pressure), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, Participants’ cardiovascular and general health history, and vital status before enrollment was extracted from health care administrative databases through linkage of data, | 4692 | 2016 – 2016 | |
Other Datasets | COVID-19 Antibody Study: Collection and Procession(COVID19_SERO_ADMIN) | This dataset contains the biosample administrative related information collected in the CanPATH COVID-19 Antibody Study. Information includes: date of the biological sample collection, type of biological sample that was analyzed for COVID-19 serology, biological sample collection container, sample arrival date at processing lab, and short-term storage temperature. | 46 | 2021 | |
Other Datasets | COVID-19 Antibody Study: Serology Results (COVID19_SERO_RESULTS) | This dataset includes the antibody test results (serology) from the CanPATH COVID-19 Antibody Study. Information includes: sample type analyzed for serology, date on which the ELISA assay was run, type of SARS-CoV-2 antigen tested for antibodies, serology results for each SARS-CoV-2 antigen. | 18 | 2021 | |
Researcher Datasets | Metabolomics (NMR-based) | This dataset contains derived metabolite concentrations for baseline plasma samples from 1,320 BCGP participants using NMR methods. The majority of the metabolites are lipids and fatty acids, and are reported in mol/L or mmol/L. A number of lipid ratio measures are also included. | 226 | 2009 – 2014 | |
Researcher Datasets | Fatty Acids | This dataset contains various derived variables relating to phospholipid fatty acids. Plasma samples collected during baseline from 546 female BCGP participants, some who were later diagnosed with breast cancer and some age-matched controls. Acid concentrations are reported in ug/mL, and relative percent units. | 63 | 2009 – 2014 | |
Researcher Datasets | Walkability | Historical postal codes from T1 tax-records from the Social Data Linkage Environment (SDLE) were linked to four Walkability surface obtained from the University of British Columbia Health and Community Design Lab. | 369 | 2006, 2011, 2016 |
