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Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Repository

The Study of Womens Health Across the Nation (SWAN) is an active multi-site, multi-disciplinary, longitudinal study of women's health. Initially funded in 1994 by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), the overall goal of SWAN is to describe the natural history of the menopausal transition and the post menopause including biological, behavioral, and psychosocial characteristics. SWAN focuses on the impact of menopause on age-related chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, bone loss and osteoporosis, as well as physical and cognitive functioning. SWAN has seven clinical study sites located in six states, two in California, and one each in Chicago, Boston, Detroit area, northern New Jersey and Pittsburgh. The SWAN cohort was recruited from these areas and consists of 3,302 African American, Caucasian, Chinese American, Hispanic and Japanese American women. SWAN participants were enrolled in 1996-1997 and have been seen annually or bi-annually for clinic visits, which include interviews, measurements, and the collection of blood and urine samples. SWAN participants have now been seen for the baseline and 15 follow-up visits.