Innovative approaches to methodological challenges facing ageing cohort studies
Ageing cohort studies around the world face common methodological challenges of data collection, measurement and analysis, which become increasingly problematic as participants grow older. The aim of the network was to synthesise innovative solutions to these methodological challenges through a series of workshops with input from researchers from different disciplines involved in ageing cohort studies.
After the series of workshops Tarani Chandola and Susan O'Shea from the University of Manchester produced a paper 'Innovative approaches to methodological challenges facing ageing cohort studies'.
Workshop 1: Methodological challenges of cognitive ageing
Date and place: 28 October 2011, Nunn Hall, Institute of Education
The purpose of this workshop was to bring together principal Investigators and their representatives from the major ageing studies in the UK to discuss common methodological challenges. For further information about the programme please see the workshop website.
Workshop 2: Methodological challenges associated with frailty and resilience in ageing populations
Date and place: 28 November 2011, Room 1.69/1.70, Humanities Bridgeford Street, University of Manchester
This workshop focused on innovative data collection in ageing cohort studies and included presentations on mixed methods data collection, and the use of paradata, retrospective lifecourse data and administrative data. For further information please see the workshop website.
Workshop 3: Methodological challenges associated with Non-Response and Missing Data in ageing populations
Date and place: 3 February 2012, ISER, University of Essex
All longitudinal studies face common problems of wanting to keep existing instruments for repeated and change analyses, while newer, more valid instruments are developed. For ageing studies, this problem becomes particularly acute as the mode of data collection may need to change due to increasing problems with sight, hearing and cognition. This workshop focused on how some of the ageing studies have adapted and changed their measurement instruments. For further information please see the workshop website.
Workshop 4: Innovative Methods for handling attrition
Date and place: 16 April 2012, ICLS, UCL
Non-response and missing data problems are common to all longitudinal studies. However, ageing studies in particular face non-response biases that are problematic for analyses. Despite the complexity of such analyses, there are now a number of practical solutions that have been adopted from researchers this area. This workshop aimed to bring together some of these approaches and explore their underlying assumptions.
One-day International Conference: Methodological challenges facing ageing cohort studies
Date and place: 25 July 2012, MANDEC, Manchester
The focus of this conference was on innovative solutions that have been developed by researchers to deal with problems associated with ageing cohort studies. In particular, some solutions to challenges related to attrition, missingness, comparability across cohorts and over time, and data collection were highlighted over two days.
For further information please contact:
Professor Tarani Chandola
CCSR/Social Statistics
University of Manchester
Email: tarani.chandola@manchester.ac.uk