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The Rotterdam Study: objectives and design update
Albert Hofman, Monique M.B. Breteler, Cornelia M. van Duijn, Gabriel Paul Krestin, Huibert A. P. Pols, Bruno H. Ch. Stricker, Henning W. Tiemeier, André Gerardus Uitterlinden, Johannes R. Vingerling, Jacqueline C.M. Witteman. European Journal of Epidemiology, 2007-10-22
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The Rotterdam Study is a prospective cohort study ongoing since 1990 in the city of Rotterdam in The Netherlands. The study targets cardiovascular, endocrine, hepatic, neurological, ophthalmic, psychiatric, dermatological, otolaryngological, locomotor, and respiratory diseases. As of 2008, 14,926 subjects aged 45 years or over comprise the Rotterdam Study cohort. The findings of the Rotterdam Study have been presented in over 1200 research articles and reports (see www.erasmus-epidemiology.nl/rotterdamstudy ). This article gives the rationale of the study and its design. It also presents a summary of the major findings and an update of the objectives and methods.
Why it matters
Describes the aims and design of the Rotterdam Study, a cohort study in the Netherlands ongoing since 1990 that, as of 2008, included 14,926 people aged 45 or over. It covers many disease areas, including neurological and psychiatric diseases.
How this study scored 51/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on strength of evidence, so that was left out: it earned 48 of the 95 points we could judge it on, which is 51 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (European Journal of Epidemiology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | European Journal of Epidemiology: journal h-index 175 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | — / 5 | No evidence rating recorded — left out of this score |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2007 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,399 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 66.6 citations a year over 21 year(s) since 2007 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 54.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 44 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Jacqueline C.M. Witteman: h-index 84 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Erasmus MC: institution h-index 1,321 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 17955331) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 48 / 95 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 48 of the 95 points we could judge it on is 51 out of 100. |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1007/s10654-007-9199-x
- PubMed: 17955331
- Original source →
- Free full text: European Journal of Epidemiology →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 10 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Hofman, A., Breteler, M. M., van Duijn, C. M., Krestin, G. P., Pols, H. A. P., Stricker, B. H. C., et al. (2007). The Rotterdam Study: objectives and design update. European Journal of Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-007-9199-x
Vancouver
Hofman A, Breteler MM, van Duijn CM, Krestin GP, Pols HAP, Stricker BHC, et al. The Rotterdam Study: objectives and design update. European Journal of Epidemiology. 2007. doi:10.1007/s10654-007-9199-x. PMID: 17955331.
BibTeX
@article{hofman2007-17955331,
author = {Hofman, Albert and Breteler, Monique M.B. and van Duijn, Cornelia M. and Krestin, Gabriel Paul and Pols, Huibert A. P. and Stricker, Bruno H. Ch. and Tiemeier, Henning W. and Uitterlinden, André Gerardus and Vingerling, Johannes R. and Witteman, Jacqueline C.M.},
title = {{The Rotterdam Study: objectives and design update}},
journal = {European Journal of Epidemiology},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1007/s10654-007-9199-x},
pmid = {17955331},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-007-9199-x}
}