Obesity and other health determinants across Europe: The EURALIM Project

Study objective-EURALIM (EURope ALIMentation), a European collaborative stu dy, aimed to determine and describe the extent to which European data on ri sk factor distributions from different populations could be pooled and harm onised in a common database for international comparisons. Setting-Seven independent population-based surveys from six European countr ies (France, Italy, Northern Ireland/ United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, t he Netherlands). Methods-Data for 18 381 women and 12 908 men aged 40-59 were pooled in a co mmon database. Central statistical analyses on major cardiovascular risk fa ctors were conducted with careful consideration of methodological issues, i ncluding differences in study designs, data assessment tools, and analytic techniques used. Main results-Because of the detected variability among methods used, direct comparisons of risk factor distributions and prevalences between studies w ere problematic. None the less, comparisons of within population contrasts by sex, age group, and other health determinants were considered to be mean ingful and apt, as illustrated here for obesity. Results were targeted and disseminated to both the general public and public health professionals and framed in the context of a European information campaign. Conclusions-International and national comparisons between existing locally run studies are feasible and useful, but harmonisation methods need improv ement. Development of an international risk factor surveillance programme b ased on decentralised data collection is warranted. In the meantime, risk f actor contrasts across populations can be used as a basis for targeting nee ded public health intervention programmes.