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An introduction to the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

An introduction to the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Workshop on Longitudinal Studies of Ageing. Newcastle Nov 2004 Elizabeth Breeze & Meena Kumari University College, London. Research team International Centre for Health and Society, UCL Institute for Fiscal Studies and UCL

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An introduction to the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

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  1. An introduction to the EnglishLongitudinal Study of Ageing Workshop on Longitudinal Studies of Ageing. Newcastle Nov 2004 Elizabeth Breeze & Meena Kumari University College, London

  2. Research team International Centre for Health and Society, UCL Institute for Fiscal Studies and UCL National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) plus researchers from Cambridge, Nottingham, University of East Anglia, Exeter Funding from NIA and UK government

  3. UCL: Michael Marmot James Nazroo Elizabeth Breeze IFS: James Banks Richard Blundell NatCen: Bob Erens Carli Lessof Cambridge: Felicia Huppert ELSA investigators & management group

  4. Key Research Areas • Health trajectories • Disability and the compression of morbidity • Determinants of economic position in older age • Relationships between economic position and health • Timing of retirement & post retirement labour market activity • Household/family structure; the transfer of resources • Social participation & social productivity at older ages

  5. ELSA design: basics Sample • approx 12,000 people born before March 1952 • in household sector at baseline • also interview spouses outside the age range • some details on other household / family members • interview every two years, starting 2002 • from time to time refresh sample for younger end of age spectrum (wave 3, 2006)

  6. ELSA design: basics Sample drawn from Health Survey for England (1998,1999, 2001) • Annual cross-section of approx 16,000 adults • Core content • Varying supplementary modules each year • Some summary economic and demographic measures • Detailed health measures form ELSA baseline

  7. Broad questionnaire coverage • Demographics: household & individual • Physical and mental health: disease and symptoms • Social participation & social support • Housing • Employment and earnings • Pensions and retirement • Income and assets • Cognitive function • Psychosocial; quality of life • Expectations

  8. Modes of data collection (1) INTERVIEWER VISIT • CAPI (computer assisted interviews) • Self-completion • Measurements – timed walk NURSE VISIT (wave 2, wave 4..) • Measurements, e.g. anthropometry, blood pressure • Measures of functioning, e.g. grip strength • Blood sample • Post back after interview: self-completion, saliva sample

  9. Modes of data collection (2) LINKS TO OTHER SOURCES PLANNED • Death and cancer registration • Geographical information (via postcode) • Hospital episodes • Social security benefits NB – not yet achieved last two ONE-OFF LIFE HISTORY INTERVIEW, 2006 Subject to funding

  10. Some messages from Wave 1

  11. Middle age no paradise

  12. Old age not hell *Dressing, walking across room, bathing, eating, getting in/out of bed, using toilet

  13. Social gradient in health persists – both “objective” and “subjective” social ranking

  14. More rapid ageing if lower in social hierarchy <10 10+

  15. Wave 2 (1) NURSE VISIT (wave 2, currently in field) • Blood pressure • Grip strength • Height (standing, sitting) • Weight • Waist and hip measurement • Lung function • Balance • Leg rise; Chair raise • Saliva sample (4 samples to be completed on next convenient weekday)

  16. Wave 2 (2) NURSE VISIT (wave 2, currently in field) • Blood sample – Assessment of • lipids, • (fasting) glucose, • inflammatory markers • DNA extraction for subsequent genetic analyses M.Kumari@ucl.ac.uk

  17. Harmonisation (1) • Collaboration with US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) • Same approach to income and wealth data • Many health questions same • Experimental modules to allow international comparisons where questions differ • HRS investigators as consultants

  18. Harmonisation (2) • Collaboration with Survey of Health and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) • Many concepts same • Overlap of questions but sometimes different approaches taken (e.g. mental health) • SHARE PI as consultant to ELSA ; HRS and ELSA investigators as consultants to SHARE

  19. Ethical and practical issues • Data access policy – preserving confidentiality • MREC = time taken to obtain clearance • Flexibility for users vs restriction to specific hypothesis • Designing next wave before have results of previous one • Minimising attrition • Representativeness over time • Inclusion of people in long-term care • Proxy information

  20. ELSA looks forward to the contribution she can make to understanding ageing www.ifs.org.uk/elsa

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