Albane (from the French acronym for food, biomonitoring, health, nutrition and the environment) is an unprecedented national survey designed to assess the state of health of the population living in France, their exposure to chemicals and their habits in terms of diet, physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Conducted jointly by Santé Publique France and ANSES, Albane is being funded by the Ministries of Ecological Transition, Health, Agriculture and Labour. The first phase of the survey was launched on 16 September 2024 in the Île-de-France and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions, with 200 adults and 200 children, before its nationwide roll-out from May 2025. Once the results have been analysed, they will be used by the public authorities to determine the measures that need to be taken to improve population health.

What is the aim of the Albane survey?

The Albane survey covers a range of health topics and will improve our understanding of:

• the frequency of certain illnesses such as diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, overweight, obesity and high blood pressure, which are sometimes underdiagnosed;
• levels in our bodies of environmental chemicals such as pesticides, bisphenols, plasticisers (phthalates) and perfluorinated compounds (PFAS);
• the population's dietary habits and levels of physical activity, which play a decisive role in the onset or prevention of certain chronic diseases.

This knowledge is essential for strengthening public policies and regulations aiming to reduce exposure and prevent or better manage chronic diseases.

This comprehensive health survey follows on from previous work, in particular, ANSES's Individual and National Study on Food Consumption (INCA), and Santé Publique France's National Nutrition and Health Survey (ENNS) and Health Study on the Environment, Biomonitoring, Physical Activity and Nutrition (ESTEBAN). 

How will the first phase of the survey be organised?

In practice, 200 adults between the ages of 18 and 79 years and 200 children over 2 years of age living in the two pilot regions will be selected at random from an INSEE database. They will take part in the survey from 16 September 2024 for a period of three months. Children under 2 years of age living with participating adults may also be included. During the survey, participants will be asked to answer questionnaires, undergo a health examination and give biological samples. The results of the first phase will be used to test the survey protocol under real conditions and adjust it if necessary, with a view to a nationwide roll-out in spring 2025.

Albane, an ambitious health survey

The Albane survey is designed to be repeated over two-year cycles, based on representative samples of over 3000 people drawn from the population living in France, from birth to 79 years of age. The possibility of including France's overseas départements and regions will be examined in the future. By comparing one cycle with the next, it will be possible to monitor changes in the health of the French population and measure whether the goals set by public health policies in relation to the topics covered by the survey are being met. This will make France one of the few countries with a continuous system for monitoring the population's state of health.

This ambitious, long-term survey meets the goals of national policies on food and nutrition, regarding the monitoring of nutritional status and habits in terms of food intake, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, as well as the study of related factors and provision of guidance on preventive measures. It is also one of the actions listed in the national biomonitoring strategy launched in early 2024, which seeks to monitor the French population's exposure to chemicals, and identify related diseases and the determinants of this exposure. Lastly, it contributes to the WHO's Global Action Plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013-2020.

At regional level, repeating the survey over several cycles will in time provide usable results for each region, to support the definition, management and assessment of public health policies on a more local scale.

At international level, the Albane scheme will enable comparisons to be made with the health situations in countries where similar surveys are conducted, such as Germany, Canada and the United States.