Cohort Descriptives

Variable Response
Cohort Name Cognitive Function and Ageing Study Wales
Cohort Acronym CFAS Wales
Study Overview The Cognitive Function and Ageing Study - Wales (CFAS-Wales) is a longitudinal study looking at health and cognitive function in older people living in Wales, building on the design and infrastructure of the successful Cognitive Function and Ageing Study collaboration (CFAS). The study areas are Anglesey and parts of Gwynedd in North Wales and Neath and Port Talbot in South Wales, including both rural and urban localities, and areas where a high proportion of the population speak Welsh. Recruitment for CFAS Wales began in 2011 with the follow up wave (2 years after initial interview) being completed in early 2016.This study provides data complementing that from an earlier survey conducted in the mid-1990s (CFAS-I), which included the North Wales site, and is closely linked to the CFAS II project based in three sites in England. Following on from CFAS-I, the present study established a new cohort of 3,500 older people (aged 65+) enabling an evaluation of changes that have occurred over the last 15 years in lifestyle, including exercise and activities, and people's expectations of ageing, services and families, to be conducted. At wave 2, 2,237 people were re-interviewed. The initial sample was drawn at random from GP lists in the participating areas, with equal numbers from those aged 65-75 and those over 75. People living in care homes were included in the sample. Participants were interviewed in English or Welsh, according to their preference. The aims of CFAS Wales were broad and include examinations of activity and participation, social networks and social resources, health and cognitive function, cognitive reserve and lifestyle factors, resilience and adaptation and environmental influences. The standard CFAS interview has been augmented for CFAS Wales with additional measures relating to loneliness, life satisfaction, resilience, use of Welsh (and other) language(s), and (at wave 2) personality, social cohesion, financial resources and access to services. The interview at each wave includes the CAMCOG cognitive tests, and allows the AGECAT diagnostic algorithms to be run, for dementia, depression and anxiety disorders.
#Subjects at Baseline 3593
Institution Name Bangor University
Department Name School of Health Sciences
City Bangor
Study/Database Website

CFAS Wales Bangor | Maintaining Function and Well-Being in Later Life: A Longitudinal Cohort Study (CFAS Wales)

Principal Investigator (PI) Prof Bob Woods
Key Study References

See http://cfaswales.bangor.ac.uk/reports-pubs.php.en

Population Based Study? Yes
Family Based Study? No
Clinical based sample? No
Is there follow-up data available? Yes
Were participants included prior to development of dementia (may refer to controls only)? Yes
Were participants included prior to development of MCI (may refer to controls only)? Yes
How is data collected? In person
Who carries out data collection? Trained interviewer
Does this take place in participants' homes or at a central location? Home
Do participants take part individually or are families/partners involved? Individually and Family: An informant interview for those with a cognitively impaired profile, and for a random selection of those without, was requested for 20% of the sample.
Dementia cases ascertained as part of study: Yes
How many times followed up? 1
Study start date 01/07/2010 00:00:00
Study end date 31/12/2016 00:00:00
Is study ongoing? Yes
Is study still recruiting? No
Inclusion criteria Born before 1946. Speaks English or Welsh proficiently. Lives in the cohort catchment area.
Exclusion criteria Born after 1946. Anyone not proficient in English or Welsh excluded from the sample.