Cohort Profile: The Zahedan Adult Cohort Study (ZACS)—a prospective study of non-communicable diseases in Sistani and Baluch populations.

Key Features The Zahedan Adult Cohort Study (ZACS) was established to investigate the incidence of non-communicable diseases and their risk factors in Zahedan, and is the first cohort study in the Baluch and Sistani ethnic groups. Importantly, cardiovascular disease, cancers and chronic respiratory disease have been the main drivers of reducing premature avertable mortality from NCDs.[3] Moreover, evidence shows that premature mortality among drug users, chronic kidney disease, acute glomerulonephritis and diabetes increases. Therefore, identifying risk factors for NCDs at the local and national levels is essential for policy makers to decide on effective policies for reducing the burden of NCDs in Iran.[9] Cohort studies are the best type of research to identify and quantify the relationship between exposure and outcome. The ZACS outcomes of interest are death, non-communicable diseases and changes in risk factors or protective factors. [Extracted from the article]