Albane is a new survey based on a study of unprecedented scope, including a health examination, which will provide a comprehensive and ongoing picture of the population’s health. In particular, it will provide a better understanding of the links between health, the environment, and diet. It is being conducted jointly by two national health agencies: ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, and Santé publique France. It is co-funded by the ministries responsible for health, agriculture, the environment, and labor.

The first phase of Albane, known as the pilot phase, will launch on September 16, 2024, and conclude in December 2024. It will assess whether the survey protocol is well-received by participants and test, under real-world conditions, the questionnaires and the overall organization of the survey. This pilot is taking place in two regions, Île-de-France and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, chosen for their differences in population density, and more specifically in the departments of Gironde, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Seine-Saint-Denis, Seine-et-Marne, and Val-d’Oise.

400 participants selected at random

The first phase involves 200 adults aged 18 to 79 and 200 children over the age of two, distributed evenly across the two regions. Participants are selected at random from an INSEE database. Children under two years of age living with the participating adults are also included in the survey. Those selected will receive an informational letter and will be contacted by an Ipsos interviewer to request their consent.

The survey takes place in three stages:

1. An interviewer visits participants’ homes to present the study, obtain their consent to participate, and ask questions about their household, housing, health, diet, etc. The interviewer also provides the necessary materials and instructions for the remainder of the survey.

2. Over a three-week period, participants will complete a questionnaire about their lifestyle, health, dietary habits, and physical activity. They are free to answer it whenever they wish. They are also asked to describe their food intake over three randomly selected days. Some participants will also need to wear an accelerometer for a seven-day period to measure their physical activity.

3. Finally, participants will need to visit a partner clinical laboratory for health screenings: measurements of height, weight, muscle strength, and blood pressure. Urinalyses will also be performed, as well as blood tests for participants over the age of six. A nurse will also ask them about any chronic conditions, tobacco use, and exposure to specific chemicals.

At the end of the survey, participants who wish to do so may receive a summary of their food intake for certain food groups, providing an overview of their self-reported consumption over the three days, as well as a reminder of nutritional recommendations. They will also receive the results of the measurements and tests conducted at the clinical laboratory.

A first step toward the national survey

The pilot study paves the way for the launch, in spring 2025, of the national phase of the Albane survey, which will be repeated every two years using a new sample of participants.
Albane aims to gain a better understanding of the health status of the French population to help public authorities guide public health and prevention policies. In particular, it will provide insights into:

• the prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, obesity, and high blood pressure;

• exposure to chemicals such as pesticides, bisphenols, phthalates, or PFAS1;

• dietary habits and the population’s level of physical activity.

Once analyzed, all this information will help public authorities guide their actions to better protect health at every stage of life.