The Singapore Multi-Ethnic Cohort Phase 1 (MEC1) is a large population-based cohort comprising of Chinese, Indian, and Malays participants aged 21 years and older during recruitment. The exclusion criteria are: being diagnosed with cancer, heart disease, stroke, renal failure, or serious mental illnesses at the time of recruitment.
Data has been collected at 3 different timepoints: baseline, 2004 to 2010 (MEC1_T1); first follow-up, 2011 to 2016 (MEC1_T2); and second follow-up, 2016 to 2021 (MEC1_T3).
MEC1_T1 (2004 to 2010)
MEC1_T1 is a closed cohort which included a total of 14,600 male and female adults. The cohort was formed by combining two existing population-based studies conducted between 2004 to 2007, the Singapore Prospective Study Program (SP2) and the Singapore Cardiovascular Cohort Study (SCCS2), with additional recruitment of 6,300 participants from 2007 to 2010 (SCCS-MEC). The combined cohort has a good representation of Chinese, Malay, and Indian ethnic groups.
The SP2 and SCCS2 cohorts recruited participants from 4 previous cross-sectional studies: Thyroid and Heart Study 1982–84, National Health Survey 1992, National University of Singapore Heart Study 1993–95 and National Health Survey 1998.
Ethics approval for the SP2 study was provided by the SingHealth Centralised Institutional Review Board (IRB). The remaining MEC1 studies were approved by the National University of Singapore (NUS) IRB.
Detailed cohort information has been described in Tan KHX et al. Cohort Profile: The Singapore Multi-Ethnic Cohort (MEC) study. Int J Epidemiol. 2018 Feb 13.
| Study | IRB Approval Ref No | Principal Investigator | Documents |
| SP2 | SingHealth CIRB-C 2018/2970 | Prof Wong Tien Yin Prof Tai E Shyong |
Participant information sheet Consent form |
| SCCS2 | NUS 04-127 | A/P Lee Jen-mai Jeannette | Participant information sheet Consent form |
| SCCS-MEC | NUS 06-127 | Prof Rob van Dam | Participant information sheet and consent form |
MEC1_T2 (2011 to 2016)
After baseline recruitment between 2004 and 2010, the first in-person follow-up with the cohort participants began in 2011 and ended in 2016. An intensive protocol including an assessment of health care expenditure, bone densitometry and body fat and lean mass composition, and cardiac computed tomography (CT) was conducted for 805 Chinese participants, aged 50 and older. These intensive investigations on the older Chinese ended in 2012. After this, the follow-up continued with a less intensive protocol for the rest of the cohort. A total of 6,200 were revisited between 2011 and 2016.
| Study | IRB Approval Ref No | Principal Investigator | Documents |
| MEC1_T2 (pilot) | NUS 10-434 | Prof Rob van Dam | Participant information sheet and consent form |
| MEC1_T2 | NUS 12-140 | Prof Rob van Dam | Participant information sheet and consent form |
MEC1_T3 (2016 to 2021)
Individuals who participated in either MEC1_T1 or MEC1_T2 were invited for this follow-up study (MEC1_T3). A total of 4,900 participants were revisited between 2016 and 2021.
| Study | IRB Approval Ref No | Principal Investigator | Documents |
| MEC1_T3 | NUS LB-16-125 | Dr Xueling Sim | Participant information sheet Consent form |
Summary of data collected across all timepoints of MEC1
The data dictionaries, data collection forms (DCF), and categories of variables collected across all timepoints of MEC1 are provided below.
| Source | Section | MEC1_T1 Data Dictionary SP2 and SCCS2 DCF SCCS-MEC DCF |
MEC1_T2 Data Dictionary Pilot DCF Main DCF |
MEC1_T3 Data Dictionary Main DCF Online survey and telephone interview |
| Questionnaire | Socio-demographic characteristics | x | x | x |
| Questionnaire | Smoking | x | x | x |
| Questionnaire | Alcohol consumption | x | x | x |
| Questionnaire | Dietary assessment | x | x | |
| Questionnaire | Physical activity | x | x | x |
| Questionnaire | Personal medical history | x | x | x |
| Questionnaire | Family medical history | x | x | x |
| Questionnaire | Medical information | x | x | x |
| Questionnaire | Mental health | x | x | |
| Questionnaire | Cognition | x | x | |
| Questionnaire | Wellbeing | x | x | x |
| Questionnaire | Social and family | x | x | x |
| Questionnaire | Sleep | o | x | |
| Questionnaire | Healthcare expenditure | o | ||
| Questionnaire | Health behaviour | o | ||
| Physical examination | Anthropometry | x | x | x |
| Physical examination | Body composition and bone mineral density | o | ||
| Physical examination | Eye health | x | x | |
| Physical examination | Cardiovascular health | x | x | x |
| Physical examination | Peripheral neuropathy | x | x | x |
| Physical examination | Physical fitness | x | x | |
| Physical examination | Pulmonary health | x | ||
| Physical examination | Urine biomarkers | x | x | x |
| Physical examination | Blood biomarkers (core) | x | x | x |
| Physical examination | Blood biomarkers (others) | x | x | x |
| Physical examination | Omics | * | * |
o Performed only in the pilot MEC1_T2 study
* Performed in a subset of participants
Updated on 26 March 2024