SATSA - Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging

Summary

The Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA) provides a unique opportunity to understand individual differences in ageing. The twin design and the inclusion of twins reared apart makes it possible to study the importance of genetic and environmental factors that may underlie differing ageing outcomes. Further, the broad spectrum of biological, psychological, and social domains assessed across the life span makes it possible to study patterns of change within and across domains and how these predict health and diseases of ageing. Data from SATSA can be used to study various aspects of aging. For example, the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors for individual differences in aging especially in cognitive and physical domains has been studied. A further main focus is to study changes within and across domains and which genetic and life style factors predict these changes. Given the wide spectrum of data from measured genes to social relationships collected over more than two decades we dare to say that SATSA is a unique study, with the possibility to answer many questions within gerontology and geriatrics.

Type of data

Data Source
Registry

Type of Study
Survey same
Cohort study

Data gathering method
Registries
Other: biomed samples – see above

Access to data

Conditions of access
Available for the scientific community primarily by downloaded files in various applications (see below)

Type of available data (e.g. anonymised microdata, aggregated tables, etc.)
Types of requests for access include: 1. aggregated summary tables or statistics from the STR 2. anonymized files of raw and/or transformed data from the STR 3. above data plus linkages to health registries 4. access to identifying information for further collection of new data

Formats available
Dataset is compatible to many applications as, Excel, SAS, SPSS, STATA, Text, etc.

Coverage

Coverage Years of collection, reference years, and sample sizes
SATSA was started in 1984 and is comprised of several longitudinal components. To begin with, a comprehensive questionnaire was sent to all twins in the Swedish Twin Registry who were separated at an early age and reared apart, and a control sample of twins reared together. The questionnaires include items concerning rearing, family, adult, and working environment, health status, health related behaviors (e.g. alcohol, tobacco, and dietary habits), as well as relationships and personality measures. The questionnaires were sent again at 3-year intervals in 1987, 1990, 1993 and after a break again in 2004, 2007, and 2010. Thus, far more than 2,000 twins have responded to at least one of the seven questionnaire assessments conducted between 1984 and 2010. Additionally, there is information about midlife lifestyle factors from the Swedish Twin Registry that were collected about twenty years before SATSA started. In the second component, a subsample of 861 individuals have participated in at least one wave of in-person testing (IPT). The first IPT started in 1986 and since then, eight IPTs have been collected and the last wave will be collected during 2012-2013. The IPT includes a health examination, structured interviews, tests of functional capacity, and memory and thinking abilities. To date, over 76% of the sample has participated in 3 or more measurement waves. For IPT9, a third component was added to SATSA, a measure of day-to-day fluctuations in memory and thinking abilities, and emotions. Information about social interactions is also collected. After the visit by the research nurses, the twins fill out the day-to-day booklet during the next five days. This procedure will be repeated in IPT10. This will add information about small and short-term changes and more changes are supposed to indicate the beginning of poor health.

First year of collection
1984

Stratification if applicable
Whole country

Base used for sampling

Geographical coverage and breakdowns
All of Sweden

Age range
Life-course approach - no age restrictions

Statistical representativeness
Special group, please specify

Coverage of main and cross-cutting topics
Data from SATSA can be used to study various aspects of ageing. For example, the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors for individual differences in ageing, especially in cognitive and physical domains has been studied. A further main focus is to study changes within and across domains and which genetic and life style factors predict these changes. Given the wide spectrum of data from measured genes to social relationships collected over more than two decades, we dare to say that SATSA is a unique study, with the possibility to answer many questions within gerontology and geriatrics.

Linkage

Standardisation
ISCED and IDC.

Possibility of linkage among databases
The research group collaborates with researchers at the University of Southern California, University of California - Riverside and Indiana University Southeast.

Data quality

Entry errors if applicable
SATSA is built on the Swedish Twin Register (STR)

Breaks
No major methodological breaks.

Consistency of terminology or coding used during collection
High level of consistency over the project period.

Governance

Contact information
Nancy Pedersen / MEB - Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Anna Dahl, Institutet för gerontologi, Hälsohögskolan i Jönköping
Karolinska Institutet

171 77 Stockholm Sweden Phone: +46 8 524 87418
Email: Nancy.Pedersen(at)ki.se
Url: http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=13903&a=30148&l=en

Timeliness, transparency
Depends on type of study (contact principal investigator).