Archives

In 2009, when it was launched, the Tempo cohort consisted of 1,103 people between the ages of 22 and 35 who had participated in a study on children and adolescents’ health between 1991 and 1999: “Les Enfants de Gazel”.

In 2011, Tempo cohort expanded to:

– include young people aged 18-25 years who have specific health situations and life situations
– increase the number of participants to study infrequent health problems.

In 2011 1,214 people were interviewed. In 2015, 783 people participated in the study and 533 participants returned a saliva collection kit. Saliva samples allow us to identify genetic markers that are associated with addictive behaviours (tobacco, alcohol and cannabis/CBD) in relation to characteristics of people’s lives.

In total 526 respondents responded at least three times, and 334 at least four times, giving us the opportunity to examine health trajectories over time.

Participants in the Tempo cohort were asked about their health, the situations they encountered in their daily lives, their work and family experiences.

Last update – 12/05/2017

The Sydney Memory and Ageing Study (Sydney MAS) began in 2005 to examine the clinical characteristics and prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and related syndromes, and to determine the rate of change in cognitive function over time.

Non-demented community-dwelling individuals (N=1037) aged 70-90 were recruited from two areas of Sydney, following a random approach to 8,914 individuals on the electoral roll. They underwent detailed neuropsychiatric and medical assessments and donated a blood sample for clinical chemistry, proteomics and genomics. A knowledgeable informant was also interviewed. Structural MRI scans were performed on 554 individuals, and subgroups participated in studies of falls and balance, metabolic and inflammatory markers, functional MRI and prospective memory. The cohort is to be followed up with brief telephone reviews annually, and detailed assessments biannually.

Last update – 20/07/2017

InveCe.Ab (Invecchiamento Cerebrale ad Abbiategrasso) is a longitudinal, population-based study of disorders of brain ageing involving the assessment and long-term monitoring of the physical conditions and cognitive status. The target population comprises all Abbiategrasso residents born between 1935 and 1939, a reference sample, according to Population Register data, of around 1,700 people.

Those who agreed to participate in the Invece.Ab study were enrolled in a cross-sectional assessment and will be contacted two and four years after the initial data collection to participate in the longitudinal survey. Both the cross-sectional and longitudinal assessments include a medical evaluation, a neuropsychological test battery, several anthropometric measurements, a social and lifestyle interview, blood analyses, and the storage of a blood sample for the evaluation of putative biological markers.

Last update – 02/05/2017

The CLSA will collect information on the changing biological, medical, psychological, social, lifestyle and economic aspects of people’s lives across Canada. These factors will be studied to understand how, individually and in combination, they have an impact in both maintaining health and in the development of disease and disability as people age

A total of 21,241 people from across Canada have agreed to take part in a telephone interview, once every three years.

An additional 30,097 people consented to participate in an in-home interview, and a visit to one of 11 Data Collection Sites across Canada where they take part in a range of physical assessments.

These participants were selected randomly, and were aged 45 to 85 when first contacted. The interviews and visits will take place once every three years over the 20-year course of the study

The study has entered its next phase where each individual recruited between 2010 and 2015 (baseline) will be re-contacted for the first follow-up. This will be conducted between 2015 and 2018. During this phase, the CLSA research team will collect the same type of information that was collected at baseline, along with several new measures that have been introduced.

Last update – 12/05/2017

The Southall And Brent Revisited Study (SABRE) is the largest tri-ethnic population-based cohort in the UK, involving nearly 5000 European, Indian Asian and African Caribbean men and women. It investigates the causes of diabetes and disorders of the heart and circulation and examines underlying reasons for ethnic differences in risk of these disorders.

The participants were aged 40-69 when first studied between 1989 and 1991. In 2008-2011 a comprehensive combined morbidity and mortality follow up was carried out, together with non-invasive clinical measurements in order to quantify sub-clinical disease. SABRE visit 2 tested hypotheses generated from the Southall and Brent baseline studies and ongoing mortality follow-up.

SABRE Visit 3 (25 year follow-up visit) started in July 2014 and is collecting data on index participants and new participants, including partners of index participants. The focus of this visit is on cardiac, cognitive and physical function in older age, in association with mid-life risk factors. Ethnic and gender differences in function will also be examined.

Last update – 10/04/2017

The Norwegian ParkWest study is a prospective population-based longitudinal cohort study of patients with incident Parkinson’s Disease in Western and Southern Norway, with a total base population of more than 1 million inhabitants. The initial cohort comprised of 212 newly-diagnosed and drug-naïve individuals with suspected Parkinson’s disease, who were followed with standardized clinical examinations every 6 months. More comprehensive assessments, including neuropsychological and behavioural evaluations, were conducted at baseline and 1-year of follow-up, and at 2-year intervals thereafter. Currently, study participants are in the 10th year of follow-up. About 110 patients are still in the study.

Last update – 10/04/2017

The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of Parkinson’s disease and other degenerative / vascular parkinsonian disorders in a defined geographical area in the North-East of Scotland and to describe the long-term prognosis of patients and carers in an incident cohort compared to age-sex matched community controls.

Ascertainment:

Referrals from GPs
Referrals from hospital consultants
Hand-searching referral letters (neurology & DOME)
Electronic searching (GP, hospital discharge data)
Screening over 65 and over 75’s

Annual follow-up plus linked to death register.

Last update – 08/03/2017

GENDER is a study of unlike-sex twin pairs born between 1906 and 1925 (Gold et al., 2002). A survey concerning health and health behavior was mailed in 1994 with responses from 1,210 twins from 605 pairs where both responded. Mean age at baseline questionnaire assessment was 74.43 (SD 4.28) and all are Caucasians. A baseline in-person evaluation of 498 twins from 249 pairs between 70 and 80 years of age was undertaken between 1995 and 1997, and included an interview and tests of cognitive and physical functioning. Two additional in-person waves followed at 4-year intervals. Finally, a second survey was mailed in 2007 to all living twins who participated in the first mailed survey.

Last update – 04/03/2017

The Belgian Ageing Studies project (BAS) was developed by researchers at the Free University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and University College Ghent (Hogeschool Gent). Established in the early 2000s, the BAS team engages in the scientific study of the social aspects of ageing.

The aim of the research programme of the Belgian Ageing Studies is to:

Provide an instrument to measure the living conditions and quality of life of older people in Belgian municipalities.
Promote evidence-based policy at the local level by providing input and mobilizing knowledge for planning and inclusive policy programmes.
Support the process of creating age-friendly communities.
Examine trends in particular municipalities by conducting follow-up studies.

Last update – 28/02/2017

The first wave of the MIDUS study collected survey data from a total of 7,108 participants. The baseline sample was comprised of individuals from four subsamples:

a national RDD (random digit dialing) sample (n=3,487);
oversamples from five metropolitan areas in the U.S. (n=757)
siblings of individuals from the RDD sample (n=950); and (4) a national RDD sample of twin pairs (n=1,914).

All eligible participants were non-institutionalized, English-speaking adults in the coterminous United States, aged 25 to 74. Data from the above samples were collected primarily in 1995/96.

Last update – 03/02/2017