Summary Tables

Here are summaries of the data and biosamples currently available from Alberta’s Tomorrow Project (ATP). New data are regularly coming online, so check back for updates!

We encourage you to browse through these tables to see if our data and biological samples fit your research question. You can learn more in our Survey Information page. Please contact our Access team by email at any time.

Our Timeline: The figure above shows the evolution of Alberta’s Tomorrow Project (ATP);

ATP was launched in 2000 and recruitment continued until 2015. Questionnaires were administered throughout this period, so the type and number of surveys completed by a participant depend on when they joined.

For example, a participant recruited in 2001 was invited to fill out the Health and Lifestyle Questionnaire (HLQ), followed by the Canadian Diet History Questionnaire-I (CDHQ-I) and the Past-Year Total Physical Activity Questionnaire (PYTPAQ) as part of the baseline enrollment package. Such a participant would have been sent additional questionnaires in subsequent years, such as Survey 2004 and Survey 2008.

In 2008 ATP joined four other cohorts across Canada to form the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow's Health (CanPath). Two versions of questionnaires were delivered during this time: the Updated Health and Lifestyle Questionnaire (UHLQ) along with the Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (PANS) or the CORE questionnaire. Participants completed either UHLQ/PANS or CORE, as both contained very similar information.

Survey 2017 was a follow-up health and lifestyle questionnaire that was sent to ATP participants. In June to August 2020, the COVID-19 Questionnaire was administered to all participants to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Albertans. In September 2020, ATP implemented a COVID-19 Antibody Testing (CAT) study in a subset of ATP participants to measure infection- and vaccine-induced antibodies in the population and to understand lifestyle, behaviour, and socioeconomic changes experienced by Albertans during the pandemic.

Further information about the content of ATP questionnaires can be found on the Survey Information page.


Survey Completions


All ATP participants have completed one or more questionnaires, depending on when they joined ATP. The table below provides an estimate of the numbers of participants who have completed a single survey or combination of surveys, those who have provided a blood sample, and those diagnosed with cancer.

Further information and variable types available from each questionnaire can be found in Survey Information. ATP surveys can be found here.

For more specific numbers relevant to your own research question, please contact us at ATP.Research@ahs.ca.


Last Updated: 20/10/2022

Survey Type Completed Survey(s) Completed Survey(s) and Provided Blood Sample2 Completed Survey(s) and Diagnosed With Cancer1 Completed Survey(s), Provided Blood Sample and then Diagnosed With Cancer Completed Survey(s), Diagnosed With Cancer and provided a post-diagnosis sample5 Completed Survey(s), Diagnosed With Cancer and provided both a pre-diagnosis and post-diagnosis sample
HLQ 31,211 9,648 3,743 772 231 128
HLQ, CDHQ-I and PYTPAQ3 26,890 9,308 3,290 752 220 119
HLQ and Survey 20044 9,693 3,164 1,265 254 89 42
HLQ and Survey 20084 20,799 8,424 2,072 680 207 115
HLQ, Survey 2004 and Survey 2008 7,430 2,904 767 236 85 41
UHLQ/PANS or CORE 39,418 28,387 1,322 754 416 285
HLQ and UHLQ/PANS or CORE 15,693 9,478 1,322 754 231 128
Survey 2008 and UHLQ/PANS or CORE 13,950 8,357 1,187 675 207 115
HLQ, Survey 2008 and UHLQ/PANS or CORE 13,949 8,356 1,187 675 207 115

Notes

1 – Numbers reflect primary/incident cancers only, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer. Cancer incidence data is obtained via semi-annual linkage with the Alberta Cancer Registry.

2 – A reminder that the blood samples were collected between 2009 and 2015; therefore, for surveys completed prior to this time (e.g. HLQ, CDHQ-I, PYTPAQ, Survey 2004 and Survey 2008), the survey information will pre-date the blood sample collected. Urine samples were also collected at the time of blood sample collection, and therefore the number of participants with available urine samples is largely comparable to those with available blood sample.

3 – The values represented here reflect number of participants who completed all three questionnaires (HLQ, CDHQ-I, and PYTPAQ). If you are only interested in using HLQ and CDHQ-I together or HLQ and PYTPAQ together, the numbers will be very similar to the three questionnaires combined. This is because similar numbers of participants completed the CDHQ-I and/or PYTPAQ.

4 – The values represented here reflect number of participants who completed HLQ and Survey 2004 or HLQ and Survey 2008. If you are interested in using only Survey 2004 or Survey 2008 alone, the numbers will be very similar to the combined questionnaires. This is because Survey 2004 and Survey 2008 were only sent to participants who had already completed the HLQ.

5 – Linkage with the Alberta Cancer Research Biobank.



Summary of Cancers Diagnosed in Alberta’s Tomorrow Project Participants



Last Updated: 20/10/2022

Cancer Type Total Male Female Participants recruited 2000-2008 Participants recruited 2009-2015 Participants who provided a blood sample and then were diagnosed with cancer Participants who were diagnosed with cancer and then donated a sample1
All other (excluding NMSC) ² 320 134 186 207 113 146 12
Bladder 98 76 22 82 16 35 < 10
Brain 81 40 41 51 30 39 < 10
Breast 1,166 < 10 1,167 788 381 473 225
Bronchus/Lung 475 172 303 386 89 141 19
Cervix Uteri 25 < 10 25 14 11 12 < 10
Colon 342 148 194 261 81 118 20
Connective, Subcutaneous & Other Soft Tissues 33 19 14 21 12 14 < 10
Endometrium 269 < 10 269 192 77 106 17
Esophagus 45 36 < 10 38 < 10 12 < 10
Gallbladder 22 < 10 13 15 < 10 < 10 < 10
Kidney 121 63 58 87 34 50 12
Leukemia 176 97 79 143 33 58 < 10
Liver & Intrahepatic Bile Ducts 59 32 27 47 12 13 < 10
Melanoma of Skin 311 127 184 188 122 152 < 10
Multiple Myeloma & Plasmacytoma 73 30 43 54 19 33 < 10
Nonhodgkin Lymphoma 222 111 111 160 62 80 < 10
Other Hematopoietic & Reticuloendothelial 98 32 66 75 23 40 < 10
Ovary 65 < 10 65 48 17 24 14
Pancreas 128 57 71 101 27 41 < 10
Prostate Gland 940 940 < 10 685 255 374 46
Rectosigmoid Junction 34 14 20 25 < 10 12 < 10
Rectum 132 69 63 104 28 39 < 10
Small Intestine 31 18 13 27 < 10 10 < 10
Stomach 63 45 18 51 12 18 < 10
Testis 11 11 < 10 < 10 < 10 < 10 < 10
Thyroid Gland 143 29 114 92 51 55 < 10
Unknown Primary 40 19 21 34 < 10 11 < 10

Notes

1 – Linkage with the Alberta Cancer Research Biobank.

2 - Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer