The longitudinal urban cohort ageing study (LUCAS): study protocol and participation in the first decade
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We present concept, study protocol and selected baseline data of the Longitudinal Urban Cohort Ageing Study (LUCAS) in Germany. LUCAS is a long-running cohort study of community-dwelling seniors complemented by specific studies of ge...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2012-07-01
|
| Series: | BMC Geriatrics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2318/12/35 |
| _version_ | 1818662306788147200 |
|---|---|
| author | Dapp Ulrike Anders Jennifer von Renteln-Kruse Wolfgang Golgert Stefan Meier-Baumgartner Hans Minder Christoph E |
| author_facet | Dapp Ulrike Anders Jennifer von Renteln-Kruse Wolfgang Golgert Stefan Meier-Baumgartner Hans Minder Christoph E |
| author_sort | Dapp Ulrike |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We present concept, study protocol and selected baseline data of the Longitudinal Urban Cohort Ageing Study (LUCAS) in Germany. LUCAS is a long-running cohort study of community-dwelling seniors complemented by specific studies of geriatric patients or diseases. Aims were to (1) Describe individual ageing trajectories in a metropolitan setting, documenting changes in functional status, the onset of frailty, disability and need of care; (2) Find determinants of healthy ageing; (3) Assess long-term effects of specific health promotion interventions; (4) Produce results for health care planning for fit, pre-frail, frail and disabled elderly persons; (5) Set up a framework for embedded studies to investigate various hypotheses in specific subgroups of elderly.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>In 2000, twenty-one general practitioners (GPs) were recruited in the Hamburg metropolitan area; they generated lists of all their patients 60 years and older. Persons not terminally ill, without daily need of assistance or professional care were eligible. Of these, n = 3,326 (48 %) agreed to participate and completed a small (baseline) and an extensive health questionnaire (wave 1). In 2007/2008, a re-recruitment took place including 2,012 participants: 743 men, 1,269 women (647 deaths, 197 losses, 470 declined further participation). In 2009/2010 n = 1,627 returned the questionnaire (90 deaths, 47 losses, 248 declined further participation) resulting in a good participation rate over ten years with limited and quantified dropouts. Presently, follow-up data from 2007/2008 (wave 2) and 2009/2010 (wave 3) are available. Data wave 4 is due in 2011/2012, and the project will be continued until 2013. Information on survival and need of nursing care was collected continuously and cross-checked against official records. We used Fisher’s exact test and t-tests. The study served repeatedly to evaluate health promotion interventions and concepts.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>LUCAS shows that a cohort study of older persons is feasible and can maintain a good participation rate over ten years, even when extensive self-reported health data are collected repeatedly through self-filled questionnaires. Evidently individual health developments of elderly persons can be tracked quantifying simultaneously behaviour, co-morbidity, functional competence and their changes. In future, we expect to generate results of significance about the five study aims listed above.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T04:58:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1eba901a312e40fb9f9b6fd7bc94a2b7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2318 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T04:58:52Z |
| publishDate | 2012-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Geriatrics |
| spelling | doaj.art-1eba901a312e40fb9f9b6fd7bc94a2b72022-12-21T22:02:37ZengBMCBMC Geriatrics1471-23182012-07-011213510.1186/1471-2318-12-35The longitudinal urban cohort ageing study (LUCAS): study protocol and participation in the first decadeDapp UlrikeAnders Jennifervon Renteln-Kruse WolfgangGolgert StefanMeier-Baumgartner HansMinder Christoph E<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We present concept, study protocol and selected baseline data of the Longitudinal Urban Cohort Ageing Study (LUCAS) in Germany. LUCAS is a long-running cohort study of community-dwelling seniors complemented by specific studies of geriatric patients or diseases. Aims were to (1) Describe individual ageing trajectories in a metropolitan setting, documenting changes in functional status, the onset of frailty, disability and need of care; (2) Find determinants of healthy ageing; (3) Assess long-term effects of specific health promotion interventions; (4) Produce results for health care planning for fit, pre-frail, frail and disabled elderly persons; (5) Set up a framework for embedded studies to investigate various hypotheses in specific subgroups of elderly.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>In 2000, twenty-one general practitioners (GPs) were recruited in the Hamburg metropolitan area; they generated lists of all their patients 60 years and older. Persons not terminally ill, without daily need of assistance or professional care were eligible. Of these, n = 3,326 (48 %) agreed to participate and completed a small (baseline) and an extensive health questionnaire (wave 1). In 2007/2008, a re-recruitment took place including 2,012 participants: 743 men, 1,269 women (647 deaths, 197 losses, 470 declined further participation). In 2009/2010 n = 1,627 returned the questionnaire (90 deaths, 47 losses, 248 declined further participation) resulting in a good participation rate over ten years with limited and quantified dropouts. Presently, follow-up data from 2007/2008 (wave 2) and 2009/2010 (wave 3) are available. Data wave 4 is due in 2011/2012, and the project will be continued until 2013. Information on survival and need of nursing care was collected continuously and cross-checked against official records. We used Fisher’s exact test and t-tests. The study served repeatedly to evaluate health promotion interventions and concepts.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>LUCAS shows that a cohort study of older persons is feasible and can maintain a good participation rate over ten years, even when extensive self-reported health data are collected repeatedly through self-filled questionnaires. Evidently individual health developments of elderly persons can be tracked quantifying simultaneously behaviour, co-morbidity, functional competence and their changes. In future, we expect to generate results of significance about the five study aims listed above.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2318/12/35LongitudinalCohortHealthPromotionFrailtyComprehensive assessmentAgeingElderlyFunctional decline |
| spellingShingle | Dapp Ulrike Anders Jennifer von Renteln-Kruse Wolfgang Golgert Stefan Meier-Baumgartner Hans Minder Christoph E The longitudinal urban cohort ageing study (LUCAS): study protocol and participation in the first decade BMC Geriatrics Longitudinal Cohort Health Promotion Frailty Comprehensive assessment Ageing Elderly Functional decline |
| title | The longitudinal urban cohort ageing study (LUCAS): study protocol and participation in the first decade |
| title_full | The longitudinal urban cohort ageing study (LUCAS): study protocol and participation in the first decade |
| title_fullStr | The longitudinal urban cohort ageing study (LUCAS): study protocol and participation in the first decade |
| title_full_unstemmed | The longitudinal urban cohort ageing study (LUCAS): study protocol and participation in the first decade |
| title_short | The longitudinal urban cohort ageing study (LUCAS): study protocol and participation in the first decade |
| title_sort | longitudinal urban cohort ageing study lucas study protocol and participation in the first decade |
| topic | Longitudinal Cohort Health Promotion Frailty Comprehensive assessment Ageing Elderly Functional decline |
| url | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2318/12/35 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dappulrike thelongitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade AT andersjennifer thelongitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade AT vonrentelnkrusewolfgang thelongitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade AT golgertstefan thelongitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade AT meierbaumgartnerhans thelongitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade AT minderchristophe thelongitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade AT dappulrike longitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade AT andersjennifer longitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade AT vonrentelnkrusewolfgang longitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade AT golgertstefan longitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade AT meierbaumgartnerhans longitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade AT minderchristophe longitudinalurbancohortageingstudylucasstudyprotocolandparticipationinthefirstdecade |