Insight into a maturing population
The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) is a unique and rich resource of information on the health, social, wellbeing and economic circumstances of the English population aged 50 and older. The current sample contains data from up to eight waves of data collection covering a period of 15 years.
ELSA includes objective and subjective data relating to health and disability, biological markers of disease, economic circumstance, social participation, nutrition, networks and well-being. The multidisciplinary and longitudinal nature of the data allows for the examination of complex relationships and causal processes.
The multidisciplinary and longitudinal nature of the data allows for the examination of complex relationships and causal processes.
News and updates
Leading a meaningful life associated with better health
January 2019
An ELSA analysis has shown that people who rate their life as being more meaningful also have stronger personal relationships, broader social engagement, less loneliness, greater prosperity, better mental and physical health, less chronic pain, less disability, greater upper body strength, faster walking speed, less obesity and smaller waistlines.
The study also showed that higher worthwhile ratings were associated with more favourable biomarker profiles, healthier lifestyles, more time spent taking part in social activities and exercising, and less time spent alone or watching television.
Lead author and PI of ELSA, Andrew Steptoe, said: ‘Social engagement is a very important component of living a meaningful life for many people.
‘Being a member of an organisation may be meaningful in itself, but it can also provide social contact. Finding meaning when you are sitting on your own is quite tricky, since for most people this is linked to their relationships. We were struck by how important this feeling of meaning was, with people who saw their lives as meaningful being much more healthy as well as being socially engaged.'
People taking part in the study were asked to rate how meaningful they felt their lives were on a scale of 0-10.
Those who rated their life's meaning between zero and two, spent five hours and 18 minutes alone during the average day, compared to two hours and 46 minutes for people who saw their lives as more meaningful.
Those with ratings of 9 or 10 walked 18 per cent faster than those with scores of 0-3 and had a 13 per cent higher concentration of vitamin D, which boosts bone and muscle strength. They were 40 per cent more likely to report good sleep and had stronger hand grips, a measure of frailty and risk of mortality.
Leading a meaningful life at older ages and its relationship with social engagement, prosperity, health, biology, and time use. Steptoe, Andrew and Fancourt, Daisy. PNAS Epub ahead of print January 7, 2019 [link]
Featured in the Times [link - paywall], the Daily Mail [link]
ELSA wave 8 launch conference and report
The launch of the ELSA Wave 8 Report took place on Thursday 18th October 2018, at the Royal Society in London.
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The launch conference brought together researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders to discuss the latest findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Presentations from the conference and report code are available to download from the Training resources page. If you would like a hard copy of the report, or any other information related to the launch, please contact the ELSA Team. |
September 2018 - Accessing ELSA data
The ELSA dataset is freely available to all bonafide researchers but an account will need to be set up for you.
Please contact the UK Data Service to gain access to the data.
