The GLOBE study

Eindhoven, the Netherlands

The main aim of the Gezondheid en Levens Omstandigheden Bevolking Eindhoven en omstreken (GLOBE) study (the letters of whose name represent the first letters of the Dutch acronym for Health and Living Conditions of the Population of Eindhoven and surroundings) is to quantitatively assess mechanisms and factors explaining socio-economic inequalities in health in the Netherlands. From 2004 onwards, special emphasis was given to the identification of physical, social, and cultural environmental factors in the explanation of socio-economic inequalities in health behaviours.