Frequently Asked Questions

About the study

What is Girostudi and why is it important?

It is a long-term (cohort) study with a follow-up of at least 10 years on the social, environmental, and health reality of the population in the Girona region. The study will provide representative data to improve health policies and services, reduce inequalities, and promote precision medicine and public health.
Individuals aged 16 to 79 from participating municipalities who have been randomly selected, can understand and answer the questionnaires in Catalan or Spanish, and sign the informed consent.
Being randomly chosen from 800,000 people in 18 municipalities of Girona, aged between 16 and 79. The selection is representative of the province’s population.
It is promoted by the Public Health Organism of the Diputació de Girona, the Catalan Health Institute (Institut Català de Salut), and the Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI) along with other public partners. The activity involving samples and data is governed by the Biomedical Research Law and biobank regulations, and it has the approval of a research ethics committee.

My participation

Why is your participation important?

Your contribution will be useful for improving the quality of life for the present and future population of the Girona region. You will be part of a shared project with over 3,600 people of different ages and profiles!
Attend an initial 90-minute in-person interview, visit the CAP (Primary Care Centre) to provide biological samples (saliva, urine, stool, nails, hair, and blood), and complete several questionnaires that you will receive throughout the year.
To thank you for your dedication, you will be entered into prize draws for 500€ (net) held twice a year among all participants.
The interview will take place in a facility in your municipality. The study will be presented to you, and if you agree to participate, you will answer some health questionnaires and have some physical measurements taken. Additionally, it will be explained in more detail how you will participate in the study from that point forward.
Anthropometric measurements such as weight, height, and waist circumference will be assessed, as well as blood pressure, motor function (handgrip strength), ankle-brachial index, dietary habits, and neurocognitive function.
The questionnaires will cover nutrition, neuropsychology, and other aspects related to home and environmental conditions, employment, education, lifestyles, and quality of life, in order to better understand the habits and health of the population in the Girona region.

Data and privacy

What data is collected in the study questionnaires?

Data on home and housing, environment, employment and activity, education, economic capacity and time use, language, social cohesion and safety, health status and service use, autonomy, occupational health, lifestyles, mobility, well-being, and quality of life. From the biological samples, data on exposure to toxins and the microbiome are collected.

Your samples (saliva, urine, blood, etc.) are one of the most valuable parts of the study and make you a direct protagonist of science. Think of them as a kind of personal library of your health that allows us to read information that cannot be obtained in any other way.

We live in an environment where we are in constant contact with thousands of substances through the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, or the products we use. Many of these exposures are “invisible,” but they leave a small footprint in our bodies.

Thanks to your generosity, we will be able to:

  • Discover these “invisible” footprints: We will analyze exposure to environmental toxins and study the microbiome (the community of microorganisms living in our bodies that are key to our health).

  • Connect the environment with health: Understanding how these exposures relate to our health is fundamental to developing better health policies and services for everyone in Girona. All samples will be stored with maximum security and confidentiality in a biobank, following the strictest protocols set by the Biomedical Research Law.

Providing your samples is an act of generosity that will allow science to advance and help us build a healthier future for the Girona region.

You will be able to consult the results of the analyses performed through the “La Meva Salut” portal, just as you do with those requested by your health centre. You will receive a brief report on the results of the in-person interview, and you will also be able to see all your answers to the questionnaires through the project’s application.
The data will be coded and stored securely and anonymously, in accordance with the provisions of Organic Law 3/2018, on personal data protection, and European Union Regulation 2016/679.
Yes, the general results will be published on the study’s website and will be available to all participants.
You can answer the questionnaires from the mobile application whenever you choose. If you are one of the people participating by phone or in person, there will be flexibility to facilitate your participation.
The research staff will only be able to access pseudonymized data (the information collected is identified with a code, not with your personal data) and are bound by professional secrecy. With your authorization, the results of the biological sample analysis may be shown in your clinical history so that healthcare professionals can access them.
Yes. Participation and sample donation are completely voluntary. If you withdraw, you can decide whether your samples are kept for research or destroyed. What has already been analyzed may continue to be used in accordance with the consent given. If you do not agree to participate in the study, your data will be deleted immediately.
You can contact the GiroStudi team using the contact details (phone or email) found below these lines. You can also contact your town hall or your primary care reference team, as they are aware of the study.
A percentage of participants will be able to answer the questionnaires by phone or in in-person interviews. You could be one of them.

Girostudi will begin in Girona and Bescanó
in February 2026

Girostudi will begin in Girona and Bescanó in February 2026

Check participation and schedule here