Current and Past Activities

Past activities

Wave One (2002-3)

• The research team began designing the survey questionnaire in January 2001.
• The initial draft questionnaire was tested during our first pilot in August 2001. Changes were subsequently made to both the amount of interview content – since interviews were lasting well over 70 minutes on average – and to the specific wording of questionnaire items.
• A second pilot questionnaire that incorporated all the changes resulting from the discussion and debate was tested in November 2001.
• In March and April 2002, the researchers briefed the ELSA survey interviewers, who are a vital part of our team, about the survey questionnaire and explained the aims of the study and the relevant procedures.
• Interviews took place between March 2002 and March 2003.
• Data from the interviews was organised and analysed, and the findings were launched in December 2003.

Wave Two (2004-5)

This second stage of the study went through many of the same testing and development procedures as Wave One:

• The research team began updating the survey questionnaire in summer 2003.
• Wave Two also introduced a visit by a qualified nurse to take some measurements from ELSA members. The ELSA team used measures from the studies on ageing being conducted in the US and in Europe so that international comparisons can be made in the future. Work on developing this visit began at the same time as work to update the questionnaire.
• The draft questionnaire was tested during our first pilot in August 2003. Changes were subsequently made to both the length of the interview and to the wording of specific questions.
• A second pilot questionnaire that incorporated all the changes resulting from the discussion and debate was tested in February 2004. The nurse’s visit was also piloted at the same time.
• The researchers briefed the ELSA survey interviewers and nurses in summer 2004.
• Interviewers and nurses were in the field collecting data during June 2004 and July 2005.
• In July 2005, we held two meetings with small groups of ELSA respondents, one in London and one in Leeds, to ask about respondents’ experiences and views of the study. These meetings produced lots of positive feedback.
• The findings from Wave Two were launched in July 2006.

Wave Three (2006-7)

Again, Wave 3 contained many elements familiar from earlier stages; however, a number of new procedures were brought in. There was no nurse visit, but additional paper questionnaires were introduced and there was a separate interview asking about various events that have happened in your life

• The research team made alterations to the questionnaire to capture any health, financial and lifestyle changes and to incorporate suggestions from interviewers and respondents. We also developed two new paper questionnaires and computerised questions on dental health.
• The draft questionnaire for Wave Three was tested in a pilot in September 2005, and the final version was piloted in January 2006.
• ELSA survey interviewers were briefed in April-May 2006.
• Interviews began in May 2006, and continued until August 2007.
• Development for a new element for ELSA, the Life History Interview, began in March 2005. Pilots for this interview were carried out in September 2005, September 2006 and November 2006 and the main interview was launched in March 2007. In this interview, respondents were asked about important events from childhood and throughout their lives, which enabled us to find out the effect earlier experiences have on people’s circumstances as they grow older. The Wave Three report was launched in July 2008.

Wave Four (2008-9)

• The researcher team made various changes to the procedures and questionnaire incorporating suggestions from all our researchers and collaborators, our interviewers and respondents in Spring/Summer 2007.
• The draft questionnaire for Wave Four was tested in a pilot in November 2007.
• The nurse visit has been reintroduced and the content is very similar to the one from wave two. The main reason for collecting the same data as before is that we want to look at changes in people’s functioning and measurements over time.
• ELSA survey interviewers and nurses were trained about this new wave in April and May 2008.
• Interviews began in May 2008, and will continue until June 2009.

Current activities

• Our main activity at the moment is carrying out the interviews and nurse visits with respondents for Wave 4 of the survey.
• We are in discussions with our funders about the next two waves of ELSA. We are already making plans about new questions and measures to include in the future which will add to our understanding of ageing.
• We are also carrying out some work to make the data more user friendly for analysts to help them answer the research questions they are investigating.
• We are planning to have a focus group with some of our interviewers in early 2009 so we can get their views about the study and how it can be improved. We hope that they will also feedback any ideas or comments that our respondents have about the study which would help us make the study better.

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Study timetable

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