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The original purpose of the Add Health study was to help understand the causes of adolescent health and health behaviour with special emphasis on the effects of multiple contexts of adolescent life.

The cohort was then followed through their transition to adulthood and research turned to understanding the determinants and consequences of developmental and health trajectories from adolescence into adulthood.

Add Health combines longitudinal survey data on respondents’ social, economic, psychological and physical well-being with contextual data on the family, neighbourhood, community, school, friendships, peer groups, and romantic relationships, providing unique opportunities to study how social environments and behaviours in adolescence are linked to health and achievement outcomes in young adulthood. The fourth wave of interviews expanded the collection of biological data in Add Health to understand the social, behavioural, and biological linkages in health trajectories as the Add Health cohort ages through adulthood, and the fifth wave of data collection continues this biological data expansion (2016-2018).

Last update – 03/02/2017

ADNI began in October 2004. The overall goal is to validate biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials. One aim is to find, validate and standardize more sensitive and accurate methods to detect Alzheimer’s disease at earlier stages and mark its progress through biomarkers. The study gathered and analyzed thousands of brain scans, genetic profiles, and biomarkers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid that are used to measure the progress of disease or the effects of treatment. More information on ADNI-info.org. All data is publically available at USC/LONI/ADNI.

The three overarching longitudinal ADNI study goals are:

  • Validation of biomarkers, especially for amyloid and tau, for use in AD clinical trials.
  • To detect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) at the earliest stage possible and identify ways to track the disease through biomarkers.
  • To support advances in AD intervention, prevention and treatment through the application of new diagnostic methods to apply at the earliest stages technically possible – when intervention may be most effective.
  • To continually develop ADNI’s now- legendary data access policy and continuously improve and expand the unprecedented data sharing model.

Last update – 07/02/2017

Aims & objective

  • To find out the known as well as some new factors which increase the risk of occurrence of stroke (half body paralysis, Lakwa) and of memory problem and other brain related problems.
  • To identify a group of apparently healthy people (50 years and above), carry out their health check up and follow them up over several years to detect any health problems (like heart attack, lakwa, memory problems) with increasing age.
  • To investigate the prevalence and incidence of and risk factors for stroke and cognitive decline in the elderly.

Updates about the health of the participants will be obtained from telephone follow-ups every six months and physical check-ups every three years. The study is expected to last for at least 10 years.

Last update – 02/02/2017

CFAS Wales aims to interview a representative sample of 3,750 people aged 65 and over in two areas in Wales (Gwynedd and Swansea). Using established and standardised techniques it will collect data that will enable the investigation of cognitive impairment, depression, physical disability and healthy active life expectancy for the whole group and within social groups. It will provide a foundation for other collaborative studies that investigate biomarkers and other early indications of risk of cognitive decline, such as imaging. It will investigate factors that may delay the onset of dementia, specifically focussing on the role of bilingualism and social networks. As the participants reside in a bilingual area this is a key opportunity.

Last update – 13/02/2017

The overall goal was to establish a genetic-epidemiological database to shed light on the aging process among the extremely old, focusing on physical and cognitive functioning. In the first wave 2,262 Danes born in 1905 participated in a home-based 2-hour multidimensional interview, including cognitive and physical performance tests and collection of DNA, carried out by lay interviewers. Population-based registers were used to evaluate representativeness.

The first wave took place in 1998 and participants were followed-up in 2000 and 2003. In 2005 all the surviving birth cohort members were invited to participate irrespective of previous participation:

  • Wave 1: 2262 participants (1653 with biological sample)
  • Wave 2: 1086 participants
  • Wave 3: 437 participants
  • Wave 4: 256 participants

Last update – 30/01/2017

The DEAS is a nationwide representative survey of the German population aged 40 and older that combines cross-sectional and longitudinal samples. Participants from baseline samples (drawn every six years) are followed up and enter the different panel samples. Panel data was collected at the same time as baseline samples until 2008. Starting from 2011, panel samples are interviewed every three years. Thus, DEAS enables an analysis of social change using the cross-sectional data of 1996, 2002, 2008, and 2014, as well as an investigation of intra-individual development over three to eighteen years (1996-2002-2008-2011-2014).

Last update – 16/02/2017

The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (DMHDS) is an ongoing, longitudinal study of the health, development and well-being of a general sample of New Zealanders. They were studied at birth (1972-73), followed up and assessed at the age of three when the longitudinal study was established. Since then they have been assessed every two years until the age of 15, then at ages 18 (1990-91), 21 (1993-94), 26 (1998-99), 32 (2003-2005), and 38 (2010-2012). It is planned to next see the Study members at age 44/45 and beyond.

Last update – 31/01/2017

Helsinki Birth Cohort Study (HBCS) 1934-44 is a unique birth study including 13,345 subjects in the epidemiological cohort. The cohort is a longitudinal study cohort with data throughout the life span including prenatal life, early childhood and later life. Besides extensive epidemiological data over 2000 subjects have been randomly selected for a clinical part. The subjects have been followed up clinically for over one decade with extensive phenotypic data available including metabolic data, dietary information as well as other lifestyle data. Psychological factors including personality, depression and anxiety has been focused upon.

Last update – 07/02/2017

The HELIAD is a population-based, multidisciplinary, collaborative study designed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of AD, other dementias, mild cognitive impairment, and other neuropsychiatric conditions of aging in the Greek population and to investigate associations between nutrition and cognitive dysfunction/age-related neuropsychiatric diseases in this Mediterranean population.

The participants in the HELIAD study were selected through random sampling from community-dwelling individuals over the age of 65 years in the cities of Larissa (located in the province of Thessaly in Central Greece and Marousi (located within the Athens Metropolitan area). The targeted sample of enrolled participants comprised approximately 2,500 individuals. No weighting or stratified sampling (according to age, gender, or education) was performed. Follow-ups with face-to-face interviews at ~3 year intervals.

Last update – 01/02/2017

The HCS is a population-based cohort study established to assess factors important in the health, well-being, social functioning and economic consequences of ageing. The participants included community-dwelling men and women aged 55-85 years of age who reside in Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW), Australia. They were randomly selected from the NSW State electoral roll and contacted between December 2004 and December 2007.

The participants’ study data was collected through self-report postal questionnaires which covered a wide range of variables but also linked with local and national health information databases and hospital records. These provided follow-up on use of prescription medication, health service utilization and hospitalizations, morbidity and mortality. There was also a baseline clinic visit which measured a wide variety of parameters including hearing, vision, smell, balance, cognition, and lung function. Medications and diagnoses have been collected not only at baseline but also at periodic intervals during follow-up.

Last update – 31/01/2017