Large-scale prospective population-based cohorts provide key and unique insights into the determinants of health and disease. They are invaluable resources for planning health care and health promotion services. Several countries throughout the world have set up such large-scale cohorts (UK Biobank, National German Cohort, the French Constances Cohort, etc). Whereas these projects will provide valuable insight into the determinants of common chronic diseases and life-course health trajectories in their respective settings, they cannot capture the specific social and economic environment of Switzerland.