Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing
The general purpose of the ALSA study is to gain further understanding of how social, biomedical and environmental factors are associated with age related changes in health and well-being of persons aged 70 years and over. Emphasis is given in the overall study to defining and exploring the concept of healthy, active ageing, particularly in a South Australian context. The research has a number of specific objectives. These include:
- determination of levels of health and functional status of an older population and to track the changes in these characteristics over time
- identification of factors which promote and maintain health and well-being in an ageing population
- identification of risk factors for major morbid conditions and social, behavioural and other problems among an ageing population
- analysis of the effects on transitions in health and functional status of age, gender, different patterns of co-morbidity, availability and nature of informal and formal support arrangements, social and economic circumstances, health care provision and utilisation and other variables of interest
- assessment of the effects of disease processes on functional status and the demand for health care services and both informal and formal long term care
- examination of the patterns of, the need for, and the utilisation of informal and formal sources of long-term care as they relate to social support networks, economic and housing conditions, care giving arrangements and the availability of appropriate services and
- examination of mortality outcomes in the light of changes in health and functional status, medical interventions, self-assessed health, social networks, and individual psychological characteristics
Overview
- Acronym
- ALSA
- Website
- ALSA
- Investigators
-
- Contacts
-
General Design
- Study design
- Cohort
- Start - End Year
- 1992 -
- Recruitment Target
-
- Individuals
- Number of Participants
- 2,087
- Supplementary Information
-
ALSA also include spouses of married couples.
Access
Availability of data and biosamples
| Possible Access to Data | |
| Possible Access to Biosamples | |
| Other |
|
Marker Paper
Luszcz MA, Giles LC, Anstey KJ, Browne-yung KC, Walker RA, Windsor TD. Cohort Profile: The Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ALSA). International Journal of Epidemioly. 2016;45(4):1054-1063.
PUBMED 25468824Timeline
Population
The primary sample of the older old adults (70 and older) was randomly drawn from the database of the South Australian Electoral Roll. Persons in the older age groups as well as males were deliberately over sampled to compensate for the higher mortality that could be expected over the study period. In addition, spouses of primary respondents (aged 65 and over) and other household members aged 70 and over were asked to participate.
Selection Criteria
- Minimum age
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65
- Countries
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- Australia
Sources of Recruitment
- General Population
-
- Selected sample
- Supplementary Information
-
Participants were drawn from the database of the South Australian Electoral Roll.
Sample Size
- Number of Participants
- 2,087
Data Collection Events
| # | Name | Data sources | Data sources - Biosamples | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ALSA - Pilot study |
|
1988 (February) | 1988 (June) | |
| 1 | ALSA - Wave 1 |
|
1992 (September) | 1993 (March) | |
| 2 | ALSA - Wave 2 |
|
1993 (September) | 1994 (April) | |
| 3 | ALSA - Wave 3 |
|
1994 (September) | 1995 (February) | |
| 4 | ALSA - Wave 4 |
|
1995 (September) | 1996 (December) | |
| 5 | ALSA - Wave 5 |
|
1998 (February) | 1998 (April) | |
| 6 | ALSA - wave 6 |
|
2000 (September) | 2001 (February) | |
| 7 | ALSA - wave 7 |
|
2003 (September) | 2004 (April) | |
| 8 | ALSA - Wave 8 |
|
2005 (November) | 2006 (March) | |
| 9 | ALSA - wave 9 |
|
2007 (May) | 2008 (July) | |
| 10 | ALSA - Wave 10 |
|
2008 (November) | 2009 (May) | |
| 11 | ALSA - Wave 11 |
|
2010 (May) | 2010 (November) | |
| 12 | ALSA - Wave 12 |
|
2013 (March) | 2013 (September) | |
| 13 | ALSA - Wave 13 |
|
2014 (March) | 2014 (May) |
Participating Studies
| Acronym | Name | Study design | Countries |
|---|
Harmonization Initiatives Included
| Acronym | Name |
|---|
Datasets
| Name | Data Collection Events | Variables |
|---|
Areas of Information Collected
- Socio-demographic and economic characteristics
- Death
- Lifestyle and behaviours
- Physical measures and assessments
- Birth, pregnancy and reproductive health history
- Laboratory measures
- Perception of health, quality of life, development and functional limitations
- Cognition, personality and psychological measures and assessments
- Diseases
- Life events, life plans, beliefs and values
- Symptoms and signs
- Preschool, school and work life
- Medication and supplements
- Social environment and relationships
- Non-pharmacological interventions
- Physical environment
- Health and community care services utilization
- Administrative information
Variables Content Summary
Areas of Information Collected
Areas of Information Collected per per Population and Data Collection Event
Networks
| Acronym | Name | Harmonization Initiatives | Individual Studies |
|---|