Skip to main content
Log in

Established populations for epidemiologic studies of the elderly: Study design and methodology

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Aging Clinical and Experimental Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A project initiated by the intramural Epidemiology, Demography and Biometry Program of the National Institute on Aging, entitled “Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly” (EPESE), has developed information on death, chronic conditions, disabilities, and institutionalization for representative samples of elderly people living in communities. The EPESE consists of prospective epidemiologic studies of approximately 14 000 persons 65 years of age and older in four different communities: East Boston, Massachusetts; two rural counties in Iowa; New Haven, Connecticut; and segments of five counties in the north-central Piedmont area of North Carolina. The study design includes an initial baseline household interview followed by continued surveillance of morbidity and mortality. Participants are re-contacted annually in conjunction with the collection of data on cause of death and factors related to hospitalization and nursing home admissions. Concurrently, the investigators developed substudies focused on specific problems of the elderly. The value of this research lies in the longitudinal design which allows for analyses aimed at identifying risk factors of diseases, disabilities, hospitalizations, institutionalization, and mortality. (Aging Clin. Exp. Res. 5: 27–37, 1993)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kish L.: Survey Sampling. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1965.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Katz S., Ford A.B., Moskowitz R.W., Jackson B.A., Jaffe M.W.: Studies of illness in the aged. The index of ADL: A standardized measure of biological and psychosocial function. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 185: 914–919, 1963.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Rosow I., Breslau N.: A Guttman health scale for the aged. J. Gerontol. 21: 556–559, 1966.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Nagi S.Z.: An epidemiology of disability among adults in the United States. Milbank Mem. Fund 54: 439–468, 1976.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. United States. National Center for Health Statistics: Plan and operation of the Hanes I augmentation survey of adults 25–74 years. Vital and health statistics: Series 1, Programs and collection procedure; No. 14. DHEW Pub: (PHS) 78-1314.

  6. Pfeiffer E.: A short portable mental status questionnaire for the assessment of organic brain deficit in elderly patients. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 23: 433–441, 1975.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Berkman L., Berkman C., Kasl S., Freeman D., Leo L., Ostfeld A., Cornoni-Huntley J., Brody J.: Depressive symptoms in relation to physical health and functioning in the elderly. Am. J. Epidemiol. 124: 372–399, 1986.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Hypertension Detection and Follow-up Program Cooperative Group (HDFP): Blood pressure studies in 14 communities. A two-stage screen for hypertension. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 237: 2385–2391, 1977.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Burns K.L.: An evaluation of two inexpensive instruments for assessing airway flow. Ann. Allergy 43: 246–249, 1979.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Rose G.A., Blackburn H., Gillum R.F., Prineas R.J.: Cardiovascular Survey Methods, ed. 2. World Health Organization, Geneva, 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Evans D.A., Funkestein H., Albert M., Scherr P., Cook N., Chown M., Hebert L., Hennekens C., Taylor J.: Prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in a community population of older persons; higher than previously reported. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 262: 2551–2556, 1989.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Heyman A., Fillenbaum G., Prosnitz B., Raiford K., Burchett B., Clark C.: Estimated prevalence of dementia among elderly black and white community residents. Arch. Neurol. 48: 594–598, 1991.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Cook N.R., Evans D.A., Scheer P.A., Speizer F.E., Vedal S., Hennekens C.H., Branch L.G., Cornoni-Huntley J., Taylor J.O.: Peak expiratory flow rate in an elderly population. Am. J. Epidemiol. 130: 66–78, 1989.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. LaCroix A.Z., Wienpahl J., White L., Wallace R., Scheer P., George L., Cornoni-Huntley J., Ostfeld A.: Thiazide diuretic agents and the incidence of hip fracture. N Engl. J. Med. 319: 1701–1707, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Dawber T.R., Kannel W.B., Lyell L.P.: An approach to longitudinal studies in a community: the Framingham study. Ann. NY. Acad. Sci. 107: 539–556, 1963.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Epstein F.H.: An epidemiological study in a total community: the Tecumseh project. Univ. Mich. Med. Bull. 206: 307–314, 1960.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Shock N.W., Greulich R.C., Andres R., Arenberg D., Costa P.J., Lakatta E.G., Tobin J.D.: Normal human aging, the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. NIH Publ. No. 84-2450, November 1984, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Keys A., Taylor H.L., Blackburn H., Brozeck J., Anderson J.T., Simonson E.: Coronary heart disease among Minnesota business and professional men followed fifteen years. Circulation 28: 381–395, 1963.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Bell B., Rose C.L., Damon A.: The Normative Aging Study: an interdisciplinary and longitudinal study of health and aging. Aging Hum. Dev. 3: 3–17, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Kovar M.: The Longitudinal Study of Aging: The 1986 Reinterview Public-Use File “Proceedings of the 1987 Public Health Conference on Records and Statistics.” DHHS Pub. No. (PHS) 88-1214: 45-46, 1987.

  21. Macken C.L.: A profile of functionally-impaired elderly persons living in the community. Health Care Financing Review 7: 33–49, 1986.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Huntley, J., Ostfeld, A.M., Taylor, J.O. et al. Established populations for epidemiologic studies of the elderly: Study design and methodology. Aging Clin Exp Res 5, 27–37 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324123

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324123

En]Keywords

Navigation