The first phase was conducted in the participant or their relative’s homes.
Information was collected about marital status, living circumstances, current and past occupation, education, literacy, and ethnic group. Participation to religious ceremonies or other social activities was recorded, as well as their participation to children’s education. Indications on happiness of each participant were collected using one section of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Tobacco and alcohol use were investigated through self-report and was investigated through a food frequency questionnaire. Current physical activity was estimated using a threshold of at least 150 minutes of walking or cycling in the past week as well as a self-reported diagnosis concerning stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and treatments for these conditions.
The Community Screening Interview for Dementia (CSI-D) was performed with each participant, allowing the calculation of the COGSCORE (incorporating the CERAD animal naming verbal fluency) and the RELSCORE (providing evidence of cognitive and functional decline reported by an informant). All subjects who obtained a poor performance to the CSI-D were convened to a further clinical assessment with a neurologist (P2). A structured clinical mental state interview, the Geriatric Mental State version B3 (GMS-AGECAT) identifying depression, anxiety and psychosis. Stressful psychosocial factors were investigated as well as the presence of dependent personality disorders (DPD, DSM-IV Axis II) using the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire –4 plus (PDQ4+).
A physical assessment included the following measures: height, weight, waist, hip, and mid-upper arm circumferences, leg length, pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, ankle-brachial index (ABI), and blood glucose level. Frailty was investigated through the SOF index (Study of Osteoporotic Fracture) and walking speed.
Blood samples were collected: total cholesterol and C-reactive protein were determined and DNA was extracted.
Age was ascertained by official documents or estimated through historical landmarks.