ELSA Wave 12
Research type
Research Study
Full title
English Longitudinal Study of Ageing Wave 12
IRAS ID
352451
Contact name
Andrew Steptoe
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 28 days
Research summary
ELSA is a population cohort study involving a nationally representative sample of men and women aged 50 and over living in England (www.elsa-project.ac.uk). The original ELSA cohort was first interviewed in 2002-2003 (wave 1) and since then they have been contacted once every two years for a new interview, and once every four years for a health examination. As the ELSA cohort has aged, additional sample members in the youngest age groups have been recruited at waves 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11 to ensure representation of all age groups in the study.
The study was set up as a unique multidisciplinary resource to advance research and inform policy across economic, health and social aspects of ageing. Therefore, its primary objective is to collect robust longitudinal data on health, disability, economics, and social participation from a representative sample of the English population aged 50 and older. This includes a unique coverage of biomedical, wealth, genetic, performance and psychosocial measures.
ELSA data are available to academics, government policy analysts, and the public through the UK Data Service (UKDS), with longitudinal data spanning over 20 years (waves 1–10) available to date. Additionally, data from wave 1 and wave 2 of the ELSA COVID-19 sub-studies have also been archived. These studies combined ELSA measures used in previous waves with new COVID-19 questions concerning the experience of symptoms, illness, testing, and hospitalisation of the participant, their household, and people close to them.
The study has produced more than 1,300 academic publications to date in epidemiology and other fields and has been used to inform policy decisions on areas such as pension policy reforms and financing of social care.
Wave 12 of fieldwork will involve an online questionnaire and for those who are unable to complete the survey online, a Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) carried out by a trained interviewer in participants’ homes. A cognitive interview will also be administered by telephone. Most questions are the same as in previous waves, to enable tracking of changes in circumstances and functions over time. Any new elements are highlighted in this protocol. In cases where the participant is physically, mentally or cognitively unable to carry out the study, the interviewer will try to obtain a proxy interview. The procedure for carrying out proxy interviews is detailed later in this application.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/SC/0041
Date of REC Opinion
20 Feb 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion