Nurses' Health Study
[6] Approximately 121,700 participants in 11 of the most populous U.S. states (California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas) responded.
[6] Over the years, the principal investigator of the Nurses' Health Study have been Frank Speizer, Graham Colditz, Sue Hankinson, and Meir Stampfer.
Most notably, a dietary questionnaire was added in 1980 due to investigators recognizing the impact of diet and nutrition on the development of chronic disease.
[5] Although reports of other diseases were not followed up, self-reporting has been confirmed by medical records and doctors unaware of the answers to the study's questions.
[5] The Nurses' Health Study II was established in 1989 by Walter Willett, who has been its principal investigator since inception.
The focus of the study was women's health, especially the long term adverse effects of oral contraceptives.
[5] The studies revealed many correlations, that is statistical relationships, whether causal or not, between environmental factors and risk for health conditions.
[5] Doctors Frank Speizer and Martin Vessey hoped to better understand the effects of long-term use of oral contraceptives on the health of women.
When it was discovered that such responses were not ideal due to lack of medical knowledge of the participants, the study shifted its focus to nurses.
[5] The studies did not remain focused on oral contraceptives, but expanded to investigate factors such as smoking, diet, and exercise.
[41] Influential figures in the Nurses' Health Study have published advice for women based on their findings.
The term "Nurses' Health Study" has been stated in over three hundred articles of the New York Times and The Washington Post alone.
[43] Published as early as 1988, this Washington Post article discussed the effect of the Nurses' Health Study on the relationship between women and alcohol, citing the former as a factor which affects a woman's risk for CVD and strokes.
[44] The 2004 article discusses the research of the study and resulting understanding of general health in older populations.
[40] Leaders of the experiment made this a priority by sending extra information on the study to possible subjects living in areas of high diversity.
[47] This controversy caused a 10-year follow up by the Nurses' Health Study which again concluded that risks of CVD were lower in samples currently taking hormones.
[48] Findings from the study displayed a direct relationship between therapy and risk for heart disease, as opposed to the previously stated benefits.
