The Newcastle 85+ Study: Biological, Clinical and Psychosocial Factors Associated with Healthy Ageing
Lead Research Organisation:
Newcastle University
Department Name: Institute for Ageing and Health
Abstract
UK life expectancy continues to increase by two years each decade. There is urgent need to understand what can be done to maximise health and quality of life in old age. The factors influencing healthy ageing are complex and include factors like nutrition, lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and genetic inheritance.
The Newcastle 85+ Study will make a comprehensive investigation, involving about 800 subjects, into the health of those turning 85. The study design has been tested in a comprehensive pilot study, involving 116 85-year-olds. Out of those approached to take part in the pilot study, 92% agreed to be involved.
The Newcastle 85+ Study will record extensive information about many aspects of health, including functional measurements such as mobility, grip strength, etc. Participants will also be asked for a sample of blood, which will be used to examine how the body’s cells might have aged biologically, and for genetic analysis.
The research will be conducted within Newcastle University’s Institute for Ageing and Health, which has excellent links with groups such as Age Concern, Help the Aged and the Newcastle Elders Council. The research is supported by the relevant NHS Trusts and the Social Services Directorate.
The Newcastle 85+ Study will make a comprehensive investigation, involving about 800 subjects, into the health of those turning 85. The study design has been tested in a comprehensive pilot study, involving 116 85-year-olds. Out of those approached to take part in the pilot study, 92% agreed to be involved.
The Newcastle 85+ Study will record extensive information about many aspects of health, including functional measurements such as mobility, grip strength, etc. Participants will also be asked for a sample of blood, which will be used to examine how the body’s cells might have aged biologically, and for genetic analysis.
The research will be conducted within Newcastle University’s Institute for Ageing and Health, which has excellent links with groups such as Age Concern, Help the Aged and the Newcastle Elders Council. The research is supported by the relevant NHS Trusts and the Social Services Directorate.
Technical Summary
The Newcastle 85+ Study aims to expose the spectrum of health within an inception cohort of 85 year-olds, selected without regard to health status as far as is possible, and to examine in unprecedented detail the associations of health outcomes and trajectories with biological, medical and social factors as the cohort ages. Its focus is on the phenotype of the 85+-year old, its intra-population variance, and the factors which might explain variation in health trajectories. This age group is demographically the fastest growing section of the population, yet there is remarkably little up-to-date information about it. Understanding what influences health trajectories in this age group is likely also to provide important general insights into the ageing process itself and what affects it.