Australian [Adelaide] Longitudinal Study of Aging, Waves 1-5 [1992-1997] (ICPSR 6707)

Principal Investigator(s): Andrews, Gary R., Flinders University of South Australia. Centre for Ageing Studies; Myers, George C., Flinders University of South Australia. Centre for Ageing Studies

Summary: The general purpose of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ALSA) is to gain further understanding of how social, biomedical, and environmental factors are associated with age-related changes in the health and well-being of persons aged 70 years and older. Emphasis is given to the effects of social and economic factors on morbidity, disability, acute and long-term care service use, and mortality. The aim is to analyze the complex relationships between individual and social factors and cha... (more info)

• This data is freely available.

Andrews, Gary R., and George C. Myers. Australian [Adelaide] Longitudinal Study of Aging, Waves 1-5 [1992-1997]. ICPSR06707-v3. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2000. doi:10.3886/ICPSR06707.v3

Persistent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06707.v3

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This survey was funded by:

• South Australian Health Commission
• Australian Rotary Health Research Fund
• United States Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health (AG-08523-02)

Summary:   The general purpose of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ALSA) is to gain further understanding of how social, biomedical, and environmental factors are associated with age-related changes in the health and well-being of persons aged 70 years and older. Emphasis is given to the effects of social and economic factors on morbidity, disability, acute and long-term care service use, and mortality. The aim is to analyze the complex relationships between individual and social factors and changes in health status, health care needs, and service utilization dimensions. Components of Wave 1 (1992-1993) (Part 1) included a comprehensive personal interview conducted via the Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) system, a home-based assessment of physiological functions, self-completed questionnaires, and additional clinical studies. Wave 2 (1993-1994), Wave 3 (1994-1995), Wave 4 (1995-1996), and Wave 5 (1996-1997) (Parts 2, 7, 8, and 10, respectively) included questions regarding changes in domicile, current health and functional status, new morbidity conditions, changes in medication, major life events, general life satisfaction, and changes in economic circumstances. For Wave 3 Clinical Data (Part 9) information about the health histories of the respondents was elicited, including information on medication, blood pressure, and physical and mental disabilities.

Subject Terms:   aging, environment, health, health care, health problems, health services utilization, health status, life events, life satisfaction, long term care, older adults, social indicators

Geographic Coverage:   Australia, Global

Time Period:  

• 1992--1997

Universe:   Persons aged 70 and older living in the metropolitan area of Adelaide, South Australia.

Data Types:   administrative records data, clinical data, survey data

Sample:   The sample was randomly generated from within the Adelaide Statistical Division using the State Electoral Data Base as the sampling frame. The sample was stratified by gender and by the age groups 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, and 85 and older. Both community and institutionalized individuals were included. In addition, spouses aged 65 and older of specified persons also were invited to participate, as were other household members aged 70 years and older.

Data Source:

personal interviews, self-enumerated questionnaires, and clinical and home-based assessments

Extent of Processing:  ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

• Performed recodes and/or calculated derived variables.

Original ICPSR Release:  1996-10-08

Version History:

• 2005-11-04 On 2005-03-14 new files were added to one or more datasets. These files included additional setup files as well as one or more of the following: SAS program, SAS transport, SPSS portable, and Stata system files. The metadata record was revised 2005-11-04 to reflect these additions.
• 2000-05-01 Part 9, Wave 3 Clinical Data (1994-1995), has been added to the collection as an SPSS export file with a PDF codebook. In addition, Wave 5 Data (1996-1997) have been added as Part 10, with SAS and SPSS data definition statements, an SPSS export file, and a PDF codebook.
• 1999-04-26 Data for Wave 3 (1994-1995) and Wave 4 (1995-1996) have been added as Parts 3 and 4, along with corresponding SAS and SPSS data definition statements, SPSS export files, and PDF codebooks.

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