English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
The primary objectives of ELSA were to design and implement data collection on a population aged 50 or older at inception, and to document and distribute the data that are produced. Specific issues addressed were:
1. Health trajectories, disability and healthy life expectancy;
2. The relationship between economic position and health;
3. The determinants of economic position and economic activity at older ages;
4. Social networks, support, and participation;
5. Household and family structure, and the transfer of resources.
- Start Year
- 2002
- Supplementary Information
-
Reports on each waves can be downloaded at: http://www.ifs.org.uk/ELSA/publications
Visit ELSA
| Investigators | Contacts |
|---|---|
|
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Design
- Study design
- Cohort
- Follow Up
- Follow-up of participants every every 2 years
- Supplementary Information
Marker Paper
Steptoe, A., Breeze, E., Banks, J., & Nazroo, J. (2012). Cohort profile: the English longitudinal study of ageing. International journal of epidemiology, dys168.
PUBMED 23143611
Recruitment
- Recruitment Target
-
- Individuals
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 12,099
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 8,643
Access
Availability of data and biosamples
| Possible Access to Data | |
| Possible Access to Biosamples | |
| Other |
Information on all currently archived and forthcoming ELSA derived variables can be found on the ESDS website (http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/) |
Timeline
ELSA - Population
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
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50
- Maximum age
-
100
- Newborns
- Twins
- Countries
-
- United Kingdom
- Territory
- England
- Ethnic Origin
-
- Health Status
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Recruitment
- Sources of recruitment
-
- Specific population
- Specific Population
-
- Other specific population : The survey sample is drawn from respondents to the Health Survey for England (HSE) - a study conducted jointly by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL, and the National Centre for Social Research, on behalf of the Department of Health.
- Supplementary Information
-
The population was refreshed at waves 3, 4 and 6 to maintain the representation of people aged 50-55 years and to boost the scope for fine-grained analyses. The eligibility criteria was the same as those for wave 1.
Number of Participants
- Number of Participants
- 12,099
- Number of Participants with Biological Samples
- 8,643
- Supplementary Information about selection criteria
-
Wave 0: 19 834 participants
Wave 1 : 12 099 participants
Wave 2 : 9432 participants
Wave 3 : 9771 participants
Wave 4 : 11 050 participants
Wave 5 : 10 275 participants
Wave 6 : 9908 participants
Wave 7 : ongoing
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Description | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 |
ELSA - wave 0
|
The information for Wave 0 were taken from the Health Survey for England (HSE). The HSE interviews for 1998, 1999 and 2001 comprised a personal face-to-face CAPI interview, a nurse visit and a ... |
1998-01 | 2001-12 |
| 1 |
ELSA - wave 1
|
Face-to-face interview and self-completion questionnaire. Data collected include information on respondent health, social participation, current work activities or past pensions, income ... |
2002-03 | 2003-03 |
| 2 |
ELSA - wave 2
|
Face-to-face interview, self-completion questionnaire and nurse home visit. The administered questionnaire was similar to that used in previous waves. Some measures were repeated exactly ... |
2004-06 | 2005-07 |
| 3 |
ELSA - wave 3
|
Face-to-face interview and self-completion questionnaire. The administered questionnaire was similar to that used in previous waves. The new items included information on dental health, ... |
2006-05 | 2007-08 |
| 4 |
ELSA - wave 4
|
Face-to-face interview, self-completion questionnaire and nurse home visit. The administered questionnaire was similar to that used in previous waves. The new items included questions on ... |
2008-05 | 2009-07 |
| 5 |
ELSA - wave 5
|
Face-to-face interview and self-completion questionnaire. The questionnaire administered was similar to that used in previous waves. The new items included questions on the use of cancer ... |
2010-07 | 2011-06 |
| 6 |
ELSA - wave 6
|
Face-to-face interview, self-completion questionnaire and nurse home visit. The questionnaire administered was similar to that used in previous waves. The new items included questions about ... |
2012-05 | 2013-06 |
| 7 |
ELSA - wave 7
|
Face-to-face interview and self-completion questionnaire. Data collected include information on respondent health, social participation, current work activities or past pensions, income ... |
2014-01 | 2015-12 |
Classifications
- Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
- Lifestyle and behaviours
- Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
- Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
- Diseases
- Symptoms and signs
- Medication and supplements
- Non-pharmacological interventions
- Health and community care services utilization
- Death
- Physical measures and assessments
- Laboratory measures
- Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
- Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
- Preschool, school and work life
- Social environment and relationships
- Physical environment
- Administrative information
- Cognitive functioning
- Personality
- Psychological distress and emotions
- Other psychological measures and assessments
- Life events
- Beliefs and values
- Perception of health
- Quality of life
- Life course development
- Functional limitations
- Other perception of health, quality of life and functional limitation-related information
- Tobacco
- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Nutrition
- Breastfeeding
- Physical activity
- Sleep
- Sexual behaviours and orientation
- Technological devices
- Misbehaviour and criminality
- Other and unspecified lifestyle information
Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
Lifestyle and behaviours
Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
Diseases
Symptoms and signs
Medication and supplements
Non-pharmacological interventions
Health and community care services utilization
Death
Physical measures and assessments
Laboratory measures
Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
Preschool, school and work life
Social environment and relationships
Physical environment
Administrative information
Cognitive functioning
Personality
Psychological distress and emotions
Beliefs and values
Quality of life
Functional limitations
Alcohol