ABSTRACT: This study aimed to identify independent risk factors for first occurrence of stroke in Chinese individuals based on prospective cohort studies. Forty prospective cohort studies assessing 1,984,552 individuals were selected for the final meta-analysis. The identified risk factors for stroke in the Chinese population included old age (RR = 1.86, 95%CI: 1.47-2.36), hypertension (RR = 2.76, 95%CI: 2.26-3.37), cardiovascular disease history (RR = 1.98, 95%CI: 1.06-3.69), chronic kidney disease (RR = 1.65, 95%CI: 1.36-2.01), diabetes mellitus (RR = 1.71, 95%CI: 1.34-2.18), metabolic syndrome (RR = 1.59, 95%CI: 1.33-1.90), hyperglycemia (RR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.31-1.69), obesity (RR = 1.45, 95%CI: 1.29-1.63), smoking (RR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.27-1.58), prolonged sleep time (> 7.5 h, RR = 1.44, 95%CI: 1
