HALCyon

NDA project full title: Healthy Ageing Across the Life Course (HALCyon Project)

PI: Diana Kuh

Publications

Published

Alfred T, Ben-Shlomo Y, Cooper R, Hardy R, Cooper C, Deary IJ, Gaunt TR, Gunnell D, Harris SE, Kumari M, Martin RM, Sayer AA, Starr JM, Kuh D, Day IN, the HALCyon study team. A Multi-Cohort Study of Polymorphisms in the GH/IGF Axis and Physical Capability: The HALCyon Programme. PLoS ONE 2012; 7(1):e29883.

Alfred T, Ben-Shlomo Y, Cooper R, Hardy R, Cooper C , Deary IJ , Elliott J, Gunnell D, Harris SE , Kumari M, Kivimaki M, Martin R , Power C, Aihie Sayer A , Starr JM , Kuh D, Day INM and the HALCyon study team. Absence of association of a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the TERT-CLPTM1L locus with age-related phenotypes in a large multicohort study: the HALCyon programme. Aging Cell 2011; 10(3):520-532.

Alfred T, Ben-Shlomo Y, Cooper R, Hardy R, Cooper C, Deary IJ, Gunnell D, Harris SE, Kumari M, Martin R, Moran CN, Pitsiladis YP, Ring SM, Aihie Sayer A, Davey Smith G, Starr JM, Kuh D, Day INM and the HALCyon study team. ACTN3 genotype, athletic status and life course physical capability: meta-analysis of the literature and nine studies. Human Mutation 2011; 32(9):1008-1018.

Birnie K, Cooper R, Martin RM, Kuh D, Aihie Sayer A, Alvarado BE, Bayer A, Christensen K, Cho S, Cooper C, Corley J, Craig L, Deary IJ, Demakakos P, Ebrahim S, Gallacher J, Gow AJ, Gunnell D, Haas S, Hemmingsson T, Inskip H, Jang S, Noronha K, Osler M, Palloni A, Rasmussen F, Santos-Eggimann B, Spagnoli J, Starr J, Steptoe A, Syddall H, Tynelius P, Weir D, Whalley LJ, Zunzunegui MV, Ben-Shlomo Y, Hardy R on behalf of the HALCyon study team. Childhood socioeconomic position and objectively measured physical capability levels in adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE 2011; 6(1):e15564.

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Birnie K, Martin RM, Gallacher J, Bayer A, Gunnell D, Ebrahim S, Ben-Shlomo Y. Socio-economic disadvantage from childhood to adulthood and locomotor function in old age: a lifecourse analysis of the Boyd Orr and Caerphilly prospective studies. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2011; 65(11):1014-23 (associated HALCyon publication).

Cooper R, Hardy R, Aihie Sayer A, Ben-Shlomo Y, Birnie K, Cooper C, Craig L, Deary IJ, Demakakos P, Gallacher J, McNeill G, Martin RM, Starr JM, Steptoe A and Kuh D on behalf of the HALCyon study team. Age and gender differences in physical capability levels from mid-life onwards: the harmonisation of data from eight UK cohort studies. PLoS ONE 2011; 6(11):e27899.

Cooper R, Mishra GD, Kuh D. Physical activity across adulthood and physical performance in midlife. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2011; 41(4):376-384.

Cooper R, Huisman M, Kuh D, Deeg DJH.  Do positive psychological characteristics modify the associations of physical performance with functional decline and institutionalisation? Findings from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 2011; 66:468-477.

Cooper R, Kuh D, Cooper C, Gale CR, Lawlor DA, Matthews F, Hardy R and the FALCon and HALCyon study teams. Objective measures of physical capability and subsequent health: a systematic review. Age and Ageing 2011; 40:14-23.

Cooper R, Kuh D, Hardy R and the Mortality Review Group on behalf of the FALCon and HALCyon study teams. Objectively measured physical capability levels and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2010; 341:c4467.* Press releases were prepared for the publication of the physical capability and mortality review published in the British Medical Journal and time was spent communicating the findings to a number of journalists. The paper received wide news coverage and was reported in national newspapers, including the Independent, Guardian and Daily Mail, radio news reports and internationally on internet news sites.

Dodds R, Denison HJ, Ntani G, Cooper R, Cooper C, Sayer AA and Baird J. Birth weight and muscle strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging 2012; 16(7):609-15 (associated HALCyon publication).

Elliott J, Gale C, Kuh D, Parsons S. A qualitative sub-study of the National Study of Health and Development and the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. The

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design and content of the HALCyon qualitative study. Centre for Longitudinal Studies Cohort Studies Working paper 2011/5.

Gale CR, Cooper R, Craig L, Elliott J, Kuh D, Richards M, Starr JM, Whalley LJ, Deary IJ on behalf of the HALCyon Study Team. Cognitive Function in Childhood and Lifetime Cognitive Change in Relation to Mental Wellbeing in Four Cohorts of Older People. PLoS ONE 2012; 7(9): e44860.

Gale C, Dennison E, Cooper C, Aihie Sayer A. Neighbourhood environment and positive mental health in older people: the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Health and Place 2011; 17(4):867-74 (associated HALCyon publication).

Gale CR, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C, Dennison E, Starr J, Whalley L, Gallacher J, Ben-Shlomo Y, Kuh D, Hardy R, Craig L, Deary IJ and the HALCyon study team. Factors associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression in five cohorts of community-based older people: the HALCyon (Healthy Ageing across the Life Course) Programme. Psychological Medicine 2011; 41(10):2057-73.

Gale CR, Deary IJ, Kuh D, Huppert FA, Richards M. Neuroticism in adolescence and cognitive function in mid life in the British 1946 birth cohort: the HALCyon programme. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Science 2010; 65B:50-6. Gale CR, Allerhand M, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C, Dennison E, Starr J, Ben-Shlomo Y, Gallacher J, Kuh D, Deary IJ. The structure of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in four cohorts of community-based, healthy older people. International Psychogeriatrics 2010; 22:559-71.

Gardner M, Lightman S, Gallacher J, Hardy R, Kuh D, Ebrahim S, Bayer T, Ben-Shlomo Y. Diurnal cortisol patterns are associated with physical performance in the Caerphilly Prospective Study (CaPS). International Journal of Epidemiology 2011; 40(6):1693-702.

Gow A, Johnson W, Mishra G, Richards M, Kuh D, Deary I. Is age kinder to the initially more able?: Yes, and no. Intelligence 2012; 40:49-59.

Kuh D, Cooper R, Richards M, Gale C, von Zglinicki T, Guralnik J. A life course approach to healthy ageing: The HALCyon programme. Public Health 2012; 126(3):193-5.

Kuh D, NDA Preparatory Network. Unconventional views of frailty. Guest editorial. A life course approach to healthy aging, frailty, and capability. Journal of Gerontology (Medical Sciences) 2007; 62A:717-721.

Mishra G, Gale C, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C, Dennison E, Whalley L, Craig L, Kuh D, Deary I. How useful are the SF-36 subscales in older people: Mokken scaling of data from the HALCyon Programme. Quality of Life Research 2011; 20(7):1005-10.

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Mulla U, Mishra GD, Richards M, Prynne CJ, Stephen AM and the HALCyon team. Major fruits as a common marker in cross-cohort analysis using dietary data acquired through different instruments. Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism 2009; 55 Supp 1:601 (abstract).

Murray ET, Southall H, Aucott P, Tilling K, Kuh D, Hardy R, Ben-Shlomo Y. Challenges in examining area effects across the life course on physical capability in mid-life: Findings from the 1946 British Birth Cohort. Health and Place 2012; 18(2):366-74.

Murray ET, Strand BH, Hardy R, Cooper R, Guralnik J, Kuh D. Gender and life course socioeconomic differences in trajectories of functional limitations in midlife: findings from the 1946 British birth cohort. Journal of Gerontology (Medical Sciences) 2011; 66(12):1350-9 (associated HALCyon publication).

Strand BH, Cooper R, Hardy R, Kuh D and Guralnik JM. Lifelong socioeconomic position and physical performance in midlife: Results from the British 1946 birth cohort. European Journal of Epidemiology 2011; 26(6):475-483.

von Zglinicki T. Will your telomeres tell your future? BMJ 2012; 344:e1727.

In press

Clouston S, Brewster P, Kuh D, Richards M, Cooper R, Hardy R, Rubin M, Hofer S. The dynamic relationship between physical function and cognition in longitudinal aging cohorts.Epidemiologic Reviews.

Clouston S, Kuh D, Richards M, Herd P, Hardy R, Hofer S. Benefits of educational attainment on adult intelligence: International evidence from three birth cohorts.International Journal of Epidemiology.

Gale CR, Allerhand M, Deary IJ and the HALCyon Study Team. Depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive ability but not with age-related cognitive decline: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Psychological Medicine.

Gardner MP, Lightman S, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C, Cooper R, Deeg D, Ebrahim S, Gallacher J, Kivimaki M, Kumari M, Kuh D, Martin RM, Peeters G, Ben-Shlomo Y and the HALCyon study team. Dysregulation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and physical performance at older ages: an individual participant meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.04.016.

Kuh D and the HALCyon Study Team. Life course influences: the legacy of early and middle life on active and healthy ageing. Social Determinants of Healthy Ageing. WHO Solid Facts. World Health Organization.

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Mulla UZ, Cooper R, Mishra GD, Kuh D, Stephen AM. Adult macronutrient intake and physical capability in the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. Age and Ageing.doi: 10.1093/ageing/afs101.

Parsons S, Gale C, Kuh D, Elliott J and the HALCyon study team. Physical capability and the advantages and disadvantages of ageing: perceptions of older age by men and women in two British cohorts.Ageing and Society.

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Under revision / Under review /Submitted

Alfred T, Ben-Shlomo Y, Cooper R, Hardy R, Cooper C, Deary IJ, Gunnell D, Harris SE, Kumari M, Martin RM, Aihie Sayer A, Starr JM, Kuh D, Day INM and the HALCyon study team. Genetic markers of bone and joint health and physical capability in older adults: the HALCyon programme. Under revision Bone.

Alfred T, Ben-Shlomo Y, Cooper R, Hardy R, Deary IJ, Elliott J, Harris SE, Kivimaki M, Kumari M, Power C, Starr JM, Kuh D, Day INM and the HALCyon study team. Investigations between a polymorphism in the pleiotropic GCKR and age-related phenotypes: the HALCyon programme. Under revision.

Alfred T, Ben-Shlomo Y, Cooper R, Hardy R, Cooper C, Deary IJ, Elliott J, Harris SE, Hyppönen E, Kivimaki M, Kumari M, Maddock J, Power C, Starr JM, Kuh D, Day INM and the HALCyon study team. Associations between genetic variants influencing biomarkers of nutrition and cognitive capability in older adults: the HALCyon programme.Under revision.

Allerhand M, Gale CR, Deary IJ. The dynamic relationship between cognitive function and positive wellbeing in older people: a prospective study using the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Submitted Psychology and Aging.

Clouston SAP, Kuh D, Richards M, Deary I, Johnson W, Hardy R, Cooper R, Gale CR, Hofer S. Class Reproduction, Cognitive Processes, and Educational Benefits over the Life Course: Assessing Effects of Selection and Causation on Late Life Cognition.Submitted PNAS.

Hardy R, Cooper R, Aihie Sayer A, Ben-Shlomo Y, Cooper C, Deary IJ, Demakakos P, Gallacher J, Martin RM, McNeill G, Starr JM, Steptoe A, Syddall H, Kuh D on behalf of the HALCyon study team. Body mass index, muscle strength and physical performance in older adults from eight cohort studies: the HALCyon programme.Submitted PLoS ONE. Mulla UZ, Nip WF, Pot G, Mishra GD, Prynne CJ, Richards M, Kuh D, Stephen AM on behalf of the HALCyon study team. Diet and health relationships in multi-cohort analyses: harmonising dietary intake data collected using through different instruments.Submitted Public Health Nutrition.

Murray ET, Ben-Shlomo Y, Tilling K, Southall H, Aucott P, Kuh D, Hardy R. Area deprivation across the life course and physical capability in mid-life: findings from the 1946 British Birth Cohort. Under revision American Journal of Epidemiology.

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In preparation

Alfred T, Ben-Shlomo Y, (other HALCyon co-authors), Kuh D, Day INM. Causal inference of body size on physical and cognitive capability: the HALCyon programme.

Alfred T, Ben-Shlomo Y, (other HALCyon co-authors), Kuh D, Day INM. Associations between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol genotypes and physical and cognitive capability: the HALCyon programme.

Ben-Shlomo Y et al. Association of cortisol with cognitive function.

Clouston S, Ben-Shlomo Y, Cooper R, Hardy R, Hofer S, Kuh D, Richards M, von Zglinicki T. No longitudinal relationship between telomere length and cognition: Results from four longitudinal cohorts.

Clouston S, Richards M, Elliott J, Herd P, Kuh D, Hofer SM. The implications of adolescent cognition to educational inequalities in health research: Educational attainment and childhood cognition in health research in three birth cohorts.

Cooper R, Gale C, (other HALCyon co-authors), Hardy R, Kuh D and the HALCyon study team. Physical capability and its associations with subsequent levels of mental wellbeing in older people: findings from five British cohorts.

Deeg D, Richards M, Cooper R, Stafford M, Kuh D. Sense of mastery and health in women at midlife.

Gale CR, Booth T, Mottus R, Kuh D, Deary IJ. Neuroticism and extraversion in youth predict mental wellbeing and life satisfaction nearly 50 years later (associated HALCyon publication). To be submitted to Psychological Science shortly.

Gale CR, Elliott J. Neighbourhood and wellbeing using mixed methods.

Gardner M, Martin-Ruiz C, Cooper R, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C, Deary I, Gallacher J, Shiels P, Kuh D, von Zglinicki T, Ben-Shlomo Y and the HALCyon study team. Telomere length and physical performance at older ages: an individual participant meta-analysis.

Gardner M, Bann D, Wiley L, Cooper R, Hardy R, Nitsch D, Martin-Ruiz C, Shiels P, Aihie Sayer A, Barbieri M, Bischoff C, Brooks-Wilson A, Cawthon R, Chen W, Cooper C, Christensen K, De Meyer T, Deary I, Der G, Diez-Roux A, Fitzpatrick A, Garcia C, Hajat A, Halaschek-Wiener J, Harris S, Hunt S, Jagger C, Kaplan R, Kimura M, Lansdorp P, Li C, Maeda T, Mangino M, Nawrot T, Nilsson P, Nordfjall K, Riabowol K, Robertson T, Roos G, Staessen J, Spector T, Unryn B, van der Harst P, Woo J, Xing C, Yadegarfar M, Yong Park J, Young N, Kuh D, von Zglinicki T, Ben-Shlomo Y and the HALCyon

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study team. Gender and telomere length: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Martin-Ruiz C et al. TERT SNP polymorphisms and telomere length.

Nip W, Lennox A, Richards M and the HALCyon study team. Fruit intake and cognitive capability at old age.

Stafford M et al. Association of cortisol with wellbeing.

von Zglinicki T et al. Interlab comparison of telomere length measurements.

von Zglinicki T et al. Association of telomere length with ageing: between and within cohort comparisons.

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HALCyon PRESENTATIONS

Kuh D. Life course approach to understanding the determinants of human ageing. Nutrition Society Summer Meeting, Newcastle, 15th-18th July 2013.

Kuh D. The HALCyon programme. A life course approach to healthy ageing. European Consensus Workshop on Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany 22nd November 2012.

Kuh D, Cooper R and Hardy R on behalf of the HALCyon study team. A life course approach to physical capability: findings from the HALCyon research programme. British Society of Gerontology's 41st Annual Conference, Keele University, July 2012.

Clouston S. The implications of adolescent cognition to social inequalities in health: Educational benefits in health and the role of adolescent cognition in determining the propensity for educational attainment. Institute of Education, London, March 2012.

Denier N, Clouston S, Richards M, Kuh D, Hofer SM. Retirement and cognition: selective relationships and causal declines. American Sociological Association, Denver, Colorado, USA 2012.

Clouston S, Kuh D, Richards M and Hofer S. The implications of educational benefits and the propensity for educational attainment in health research. American Sociological Association, Denver, Colorado, USA 2012.

Kuh D. A life course approach to ageing: recent findings from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development and other UK cohort studies. Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, 24th January 2012.

Cooper R, Gale C, Hardy R, Kuh D. Physical capability and subsequent well-being: Findings from five British cohorts. The Gerontological Society of America 64th Annual Scientific Meeting, HALCyon/IALSA symposium, Boston, USA, November 2011.

Hardy R, Cooper R, Kuh D. Life course determinants of physical capability. The Gerontological Society of America 64th Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, USA, November 2011.

Clouston S, Richards M, Kuh D, Hofer S. Selection and causation: the educational benefit to cognition in later life. The Gerontological Society of America 64th Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, USA, November 2011.

Clouston, S. Education and Cognition in IALSA: Findings from 3 birth cohorts. The Gerontological Society of America 64th Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, USA, November 2011.

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Clouston S. Measurement: Cognitive and physical declines. Innovative approaches to methodological challenges facing ageing cohort studies: The methodological challenges of cognitive ageing. Workshop 1: The Methodological Challenges of Cognitive Ageing Institute of Education, London, October 2011.

Hofer S, Clouston S et al. Cognition and Education: A counterfactual solution to an age-old problem. Society for Multivariate Experimental Psychology, Norman, OK, USA. 11th-13th October, 2011.

Kuh D et al. The life-course perspective in promoting health in aging. Royal Society of Medicine and New York Academy of Medicine Symposium: Promoting health in aging. New York, USA, 26th-27th September 2011.

Clouston S, Kuh D, Richards M, Deary I, Hardy R, Cooper R, and Hofer S. Class Reproduction, Cognitive Selection, and Educational Advantage in HALCyon Cohorts. American Sociological Association Annual Meeting: Section on Aging and the Life Course / Aging and the Sociological Imagination: Individual and Micro-Level Dynamics. Las Vegas, USA, August 2011.

Murray ET. Associations of area deprivation over the life course and physical capability in mid-life: findings from the 1946 British Birth Cohort. IEA World Congress of Epidemiology, Edinburgh, August 2011.

Gardner M, Davey Smith G, Lightman S, Gallacher J, Kuh D, Ebrahim S, Bayer T, Ben-Shlomo Y and the Halcyon study team. Testosterone, Cortisol:Testosterone ratio and physical performance in later life: Results from the Caerphilly Prospective Study (CaPS). IEA World Congress of Epidemiology, Edinburgh, August 2011.

Kuh D, Cooper R. A life course approach to physical capability. HALCyon symposium at the IEA World Congress of Epidemiology, Edinburgh, August 2011.

Richards M, Deary I. Cognitive capability and the life course. HALCyon symposium at the IEA World Congress of Epidemiology, Edinburgh, August 2011.

Gale C. A life course approach to psychological and social wellbeing. HALCyon symposium at the IEA World Congress of Epidemiology, Edinburgh, August 2011.

von Zglinicki T, Ben-Shlomo Y, Day I. An epidemiological perspective on biological models of ageing. HALCyon symposium at the IEA World Congress of Epidemiology, Edinburgh, August 2011.

Guralnik JM. Can we intervene to promote capability and wellbeing? HALCyon symposium at the IEA World Congress of Epidemiology, Edinburgh, August 2011.

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von Zglinicki T. Cell senescence is a cause of ageing. 61st Annual Scientific Meeting of the British Society for Research on Ageing/ 14th Congress of the International Association of Biomedical Gerontology. 11th July 2011, Brighton, UK.

Murray ET, Hardy R, Southall H, Aucott P, Tilling K, Kuh D, Ben-Shlomo Y. Challenges in examining area effects across the life course on physical capability in mid-life: findings from the 1946 British Birth Cohort. International Medical Geography Symposium, Durham, 10th-15th July, 2011.

Hardy R et al. PHSRN workshop: Measurement and modelling of functional trajectories across the life course. West Dean, 17th June 2011.

Cooper R. Physical function and subsequent health. PHSRN Workshop: Measurement and modelling of functional trajectories across the life course. West Dean, June 17th 2011.

Clouston S, Cooper R, Hardy R, Wills A. Examples of data harmonisation and cross-cohort work with discussion of the challenges and implications for analysis within and across cohorts. PHSRN Workshop: Measurement and modelling of functional trajectories across the life course. West Dean, June 17 th

2011.

Hardy R, Kuh D, Hofer S et al. HALCyon, FALCon and IALSA, 2nd international meeting. West Dean, 15th- 16th June 2011.

Clouston S. Inequalities in life course cognition: Class reproduction, cognitive selection and education. HALCyon, FALCon and IALSA, 2nd international meeting. West Dean, 15th- 16th June 2011.

Cooper R and Clouston S. Physical capability in HALCyon: existing work and future plans. HALCyon, FALCon and IALSA, 2nd international meeting. West Dean, 15th- 16th June 2011.

Elliott J et al. Case based and variable based approaches to understanding healthy ageing. University of Southampton, 14th June 2011.

Lennox AM et al. Dietary assessment in multi-cohort projects. MRC Human Nutrition Research, Cambridge, 10th June 2011.

von Zglinicki T et al. How good is blood cell telomere length as a biomarker of ageing? Berzelius Symposium Telomere length in health and disease, Stockholm, Sweden, May 2011 (invited presentation).

Murray ET. Map of the average time in which cohort members could balance with eyes closed at age 53 years, based on the percent of people in the local government area that worked in low social class occupations when they were 4 years old. Exhibit piece at the British Library’s ‘Census and Society: Why Everyone Counts’, 7th March – 29th May, 2011.

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http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/census/census.html.

Clouston S, Kuh D, Richards M, Deary I, Johnson W, Hardy R, Cooper R, Hofer S. Class Reproduction, Cognitive Selection, and Educational Advantage over the Life Course: Does selection or causation explain inequality in late life cognition? Institute of Public Health, MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, March 2011.

Clouston S et al. Selection and causation in an inter-cohort comparative context: considering the role of childhood cognition in educational propensity. Vrije Universiteit Medical Centre/LASA, Amsterdam, Netherlands, February 2011.

Gardner M, Lightman S, Gallacher J, Hardy R, Kuh D, Ebrahim S, Bayer T, Ben-Shlomo Y. Hypothalamus-pituitary adrenal-axis dysregulation over twenty years predicts physical performance in the Caerphilly Prospective Study (CaPS). South West Scientific Public Health Conference, Weston-super-Mare, February 2011.

Hardy R. Health Ageing across the Life Course: Findings from the HALCyon collaborative research programme. Centre Day: International Centre for Life Course Studies in Society and Health. London, January 2011.

Cooper R, Huisman M, Kuh D and Deeg D. Mastery, physical performance and maintenance of independence: Findings from LASA. The Gerontological Society of America 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting, New Orleans, USA, November 2010.

Cooper R on behalf of Kuh D and the HALCyon study team. Healthy Ageing across the Life Course: Findings from the HALCyon Collaborative Research Programme. The Gerontological Society of America 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting, New Orleans, USA, November 2010.

Aucott P et al. HALCyon: Healthy Ageing Across the Life Course. Health Development Forum Showcase and Networking Event. University of Portsmouth, 5th November 2010.

Lennox AM. Eating for Health in Later Life. In: Enjoying Healthy Eating in Later Life conference, Duxford, 12th October 2010.

Mulla UZ, Mishra G, Kuh D, Stephen AM. Adult macronutrients and midlife physical capability in a prospective British Cohort. World Congress of Public Health Nutrition, Porto, Portugal, Sept 2010. (Best poster prize).

Murray ET. Life course area socioeconomics and physical capability: the 1946 Birth Cohort (updated to include all years). NIH/National Institute on Aging/Laboratory for Epidemiology, Demography, and Biometry work in progress series. Bethesda, MD, USA, 24th September 2010.

von Zglinicki T. Ageing Mechanisms and Biomarker Research. Key note lecture. 2nd Congress of the German Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics

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(Deutschen Gesellschaft für Gerontologie und Geriatrie - DGGG) and Swiss Society for Gerontology (Schweizerischen Gesellschaft für Gerontologie - SGG). Berlin, Sept 2010.

Kuh D, Richards M, Hardy R and Cooper R. all presented at the Integrative Analysis of Longitudinal Studies of Aging Conference, Victoria, British Columbia, 22-25 June 2010.

Richards et al. HALCyon symposium at Oxford Ageing conference, April 2010.

Kuh D. Introduction to the HALCyon collaborative research programme. Centre for Longitudinal Studies ‘Understanding Ageing’ conference. 15 th April 2010, Oxford.

Hardy R. Body size and physical capability. Centre for Longitudinal Studies ‘Understanding Ageing’ conference. 15th April 2010, Oxford.

Cooper R. Childhood socioeconomic position and physical capability. Centre for Longitudinal Studies ‘Understanding Ageing’ conference. 15th April 2010, Oxford.

Murray ET. (formerly Lemelin). Life course area socioeconomics and physical capability: the 1946 Birth Cohort. Centre for Longitudinal Studies ‘Understanding Ageing’ conference. 15th April 2010, Oxford.

Mishra G. Life course socioeconomic position and quality of life. Centre for Longitudinal Studies ‘Understanding Ageing’ conference. 15 th April 2010, Oxford.

Ben-Shlomo Y and Gardner M. Cortisol activity and physical capability. Centre for Longitudinal Studies ‘Understanding Ageing’ conference. 15 th April 2010, Oxford.

Martin-Ruiz C. Biology of Ageing: telomeres. Centre for Longitudinal Studies ‘Understanding Ageing’ conference. 15th April 2010, Oxford.

Day I. Genetics of ageing. Centre for Longitudinal Studies ‘Understanding Ageing’ conference. 15th April 2010, Oxford.

Murray E. Cross-sectional associations of area socioeconomics with physical and cognitive capability: 1946 Birth Cohort. Gerontological Society of America 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting. Atlanta, GA, 21 November 2009.

Cooper R. Physical capability and subsequent mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Society of Gerontology Annual conference. Bristol, September 2009.

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Cooper R. Physical capability and subsequent mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of published data. Society for Social Medicine annual scientific meeting. Newcastle-upon-Tyne, September 2009.

Hardy R Inter-cohort comparisons as an analytical tool. Centre Day: International Centre for Life. Course Studies in Society and Health. London, April 2009.

Hardy R. A life course approach to biological function and healthy ageing. Longview conference. Cambridge, September 2009.

Hardy R. Inter-cohort collaborations of life course studies: The HALCyon Collaborative Research Programme. P3G meeting. Luxembourg, September 2009.

Kuh D and the HALCyon study team. ‘Overview: UK Longitudinal Studies and Ageing Cohorts and the HALCyon model. CIHR MRC Workshop on Cohorts for Lifelong Health’. London, 11 March 2009.

Mulla UZ, Mishra G, Richards M, Prynne CJ, Stephen AM and the HALCyon team. Major fruits as a common marker in cross-cohort analysis using dietary data acquired through different instruments (poster presentation) International Congress of Nutrition, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2009.

HALCyon associated presentations

Deeg DJH, Richards M, Cooper R, Stafford M, Kuh D. Sense of mastery and health in women in midlife. International Congress of Behavioural Medicine, Budapest, Hungary, August-September 2012.

NSHD 65th birthday exhibition and popular scientific event, linked to HALCyon: London March 3rd 2011.

Dodds R, Dennison HJ, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C, Cooper R, Baird J. Growth in early life and sarcopenia: a systematic review. Poster presentation at the British Geriatrics Society Meeting, Brighton 3-5 November 2010.

Kuh D and LHA and HALCyon study teams. A life course approach to ageing: recent findings from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development and other UK cohort studiesNetherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI), The Hague 19th October 2010.

Kuh D and LHA and HALCyon study teams. A life course approach to ageing: recent findings from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development and other UK cohort studies. IARU Congress on Aging, Longevity and Health. Copenhagen, 6th October 2010.

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Kuh D and LHA and HALCyon study teams. Life course epidemiology: an introductory lecture. Recent findings from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development and other UK cohort studies. Danish Epidemiologic Society, Copenhagen, 5th October 2010.

Ben-Shlomo Y. Can GWAS be used to special advantage with longitudinal data? At meeting "Using GWAS to explore questions about ageing in the Health and Retirement Study. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, Sept 23-24th 2010.

Ben-Shlomo Y. Life course epidemiology and ageing. Epidemiology Division, National Institutes of Ageing, Bethesda, Maryland, USA 22nd September 2010.

Ben-Shlomo Y. The theoretical basis of life course epidemiology: Promises and challenges. Epidemiology Dept, University of Groningen, Holland. 21st September 2010.

Ben-Shlomo Y. The theoretical basis of life course epidemiology: Promises and challenges. Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine, Germany. 8th September 2010.

Ben-Shlomo Y & Kuh D. The theoretical basis of life course epidemiology: Promises and challenges. Early human development, socio-economic performance and later life health. A strategic workshop organized by the European Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Ageing, NIH, USA at the Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies, Lund Sweden April 26-27th , 2010.

Carpentieri JD. Activity, Identity, Ageing and Health. 'Understanding Ageing' International Conference in Oxford 14-16 April 2010. This is based on some preliminary analysis of the 1958 cohort interviews.

Kuh D. HALCyon collaborative programme highlighted at Richard Doll lecture (CTSU, Oxford, February 23rd 2010), UCL seminar (19th February 2010) and in presentation to the MRC Population and Systems Medicine Board (4 th

March 2010).

Kuh D. ‘An overview of life course prevention for chronic disease.’ Institute of Medicine, U.S. National Academy of Science, 20th May 2009.

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C. HALCyon CAPACITY BUILDING

C.1 Additional funding

AwardedCooper R. Royal Society travel award. Establishing links with the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam – a collaborative study on healthy ageing. (Collaborator Deeg D).

Cooper R. Royal Society International Travel Grant 2010R3 for Attendance at the 63rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, November 2010.

Hofer S, Kuh D with Piccinin A, MacDonald SWS, Tuokko H. Integrative Analysis of Functional and Cognitive Change across the IALSA (Canada) and HALCyon (UK) Longitudinal Research Networks (Collaborators: Dixon R, Payette H, Wolfson C.) CIHR supplemental grant.

Hofer S, Piccinin A. New methods for integrative analysis of longitudinal studies of ageing. (Collaborators: Payette H, Kuh D). CIHR meeting grant.

C.2. HALCyon staff

Tamuno Alfred (HALCyon doctoral fellow). May 2009 – April 2012.Rachel Cooper (HALCyon postdoctoral fellow, capability). September 2008 – August 2011.Mike Gardner (HALCyon postdoctoral fellow, biology of ageing). April 2009 – March 2012.Zeinab Mulla (HALCyon postdoctoral scientist, nutrition and capability). September 2008 – June 2011.Paula Aucott (HALCyon senior research associate, area based characteristics). July 2009 – Oct 2009.Sam Parsons (WP3 qualitative research officer). Jan 2010 – April 2011.Heather Slade (HALCyon project manager). Jan 2009 – May 2010.Vicky Tsipouri (HALCyon project manager). August 2010 – Sept 2012.

Postdoctoral and doctoral scientists undertaking HALCyon research, alternative fundingEmily Murray (formerly Lemelin, NIA postdoctoral fellow, area based characteristics, NIA funded). September 2008 - September 2011.Jon Carpentieri (ESRC studentship). Sean Clouston (CIHR postdoc). Autumn 2010 – current.

HALCyon staff development

Gardner M. Rates and Survival Analysis Poisson Cox Regression Models. University of Bristol, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, 6th-8th June 2011.

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Gardner M. Research Governance. University of Bristol, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, 8th-9th March 2011.

Gardner M. PhD and Postdoctoral Workshop (Project summaries; Involving older people in research; funding applications and networking and collaboration). University of Sheffield, 25th November 2010. NDA funded.

Mulla UZ. ERA-AGE 2 summer school: Future Leaders of Ageing Research in Europe (FLARE). Varna, Bulgaria, September 2010. NDA funded.

Gardner M. Advanced Epidemiology and Statistical Methods, University of Bristol, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, 28th June-2nd July 2010.

Gardner M. Advanced Stata. University of Bristol, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, 6th-7th May 2010.

Gardner M, Lightman S, Ben-Shlomo Y. WP8: HPA axis capability and wellbeing. Maximising the Impact of Research NDA Programme Meeting. 12-13th April 2010, Birmingham. Talk in the postdoc section. NDA funded.

Gardner M. Basic Epidemiology. University of Bristol, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, 18th-22nd January 2010.

Cooper R. Royal Society Travel award. Rachel spent 10 weeks (Jan-March 2010) with Professor Dorly Deeg, an international HALCyon collaborator in the Netherlands.

Cooper R. RAND Summer Institute, including a mini-medical school for social scientists and a Demography, Economics and Epidemiology of Aging conference. Santa Monica, July 2009. NDA and LHA funded.

Gardner M. Systematic Reviews in Health Care: Meta-Analysis in Context. University of Bristol, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, 17th-19th June 2009.

Gardner M. Introduction to Linear and Logistic Regression Models. University of Bristol, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, 1st-5th June 2009.

Gardner M. The Complex Genome (Genome Beyond SNPs). University of Bristol, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, 21st-22nd May 2009.

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Gardner M. Bioinformatics. University of Bristol, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol, 23rd-24th April 2009.

Mulla UZ and Cooper R. ERA-AGE/EESC Conference. The Future of Ageing Research in Europe. Brussels, 2nd February 2009.

D. Data harmonisation across HALCyon cohorts

Documented and published on the websiteD1. Physical capability variables D2 Basic demographic variables and indicators of socioeconomic position D3. Body size variables

DerivedD4. Standardised variables for crystallized cognitive ability derivedD5. Factor scores for fluid cognitive function derived

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E. Published HALCyon Papers with abstracts

Alfred T, Ben-Shlomo Y, Cooper R, Hardy R, Cooper C, Deary IJ, Gaunt TR, Gunnell D, Harris SE, Kumari M, Martin RM, Sayer AA, Starr JM, Kuh D, Day IN, the HALCyon study team. A Multi-Cohort Study of Polymorphisms in the GH/IGF Axis and Physical Capability: The HALCyon Programme. PLoS ONE 2012; 7(1):e29883.

Abstract BackgroundLow muscle mass and function have been associated with poorer indicators of physical capability in older people, which are in-turn associated with increased mortality rates. The growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor (GH/IGF) axis is involved in muscle function and genetic variants in genes in the axis may influence measures of physical capability.MethodsAs part of the Healthy Ageing across the Life Course (HALCyon) programme, men and women from seven UK cohorts aged between 52 and 90 years old were genotyped for six polymorphisms: rs35767 (IGF1), rs7127900 (IGF2), rs2854744 (IGFBP3), rs2943641 (IRS1), rs2665802 (GH1) and the exon-3 deletion of GHR. The polymorphisms have previously been robustly associated with age-related traits or are potentially functional. Meta-analysis was used to pool within-study genotypic effects of the associations between the polymorphisms and four measures of physical capability: grip strength, timed walk or get up and go, chair rises and standing balance.ResultsFew important associations were observed among the several tests. We found evidence that rs2665802 in GH1 was associated with inability to balance for 5 s (pooled odds ratio per minor allele = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.82–0.98, p-value = 0.01, n = 10,748), after adjusting for age and sex. We found no evidence for other associations between the polymorphisms and physical capability traits.ConclusionOur findings do not provide evidence for a substantial influence of these common polymorphisms in the GH/IGF axis on objectively measured physical capability levels in older adults.

Alfred T, Ben-Shlomo Y, Cooper R, Hardy R, Cooper C , Deary IJ , Elliott J, Gunnell D, Harris SE , Kumari M, Kivimaki M, Martin R , Power C, Aihie Sayer A , Starr JM , Kuh D, Day INM and the HALCyon study team. Absence of association of a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the TERT-CLPTM1L locus with age-related phenotypes in a large multicohort study: the HALCyon programme. Aging Cell 2011; 10(3): 520-532.

SummaryBackground

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Several age-related traits are associated with shorter telomeres, the structures that cap the end of linear chromosomes. A common polymorphism near the telomere maintenance gene TERT has been associated with several cancers, but relationships with other ageing traits such as physical capability have not been reported.MethodsAs part of the Healthy Ageing across the Life Course (HALCyon) collaborative research programme, men and women aged between 44 and 90 years from 9 UK cohorts were genotyped for the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs401681. We then investigated relationships between the SNP and 30 age-related phenotypes, including cognitive and physical capability, blood lipid levels and lung function, pooling within-study genotypic effects in meta-analyses.ResultsNo significant associations were found between the SNP and any of the cognitive performance tests (e.g. pooled beta per T allele for word recall z-score=0.02, 95% CI: -0.01- 0.04, p-value=0.12, n=18,737), physical performance tests (e.g. pooled beta for grip strength=-0.02, 95% CI:-0.045- 0.006, p-value=0.14, n=11,711), blood pressure, lung function or blood test measures. Similarly, no differences in observations were found when considering follow-up measures of cognitive or physical performance after adjusting for its measure at an earlier assessment.ConclusionThe lack of associations between SNP rs401681 and a wide range of age-related phenotypes investigated in this large multi-cohort study suggests that whilst this SNP may be associated with cancer, it is not an important contributor to other markers of ageing.

Alfred T, Ben-Shlomo Y, Cooper R, Hardy R, Cooper C, Deary IJ, Gunnell D, Harris SE, Kumari M, Martin R, Moran CN, Pitsiladis YP, Ring SM, Aihie Sayer A, Davey Smith G, Starr JA, Kuh D, Day INM and the HALCyon study team. ACTN3 genotype, athletic status and life course physical capability: meta-analysis of the literature and nine studies. Human Mutation 2011, 32(9):1008-1018.

AbstractThe ACTN3 R577X (rs1815739) genotype has been associated with athletic status and muscle phenotypes, though not consistently. Our objective was to conduct a meta-analysis of the published literature on athletic status and investigate its associations with physical capability in several new population-based studies. Relevant data were extracted from studies in the literature, comparing genotype frequencies between controls and sprint/power and endurance athletes. For lifecourse physical capability, data were used from two studies of adolescents and seven studies in the Healthy Ageing across the Life Course (HALCyon) collaborative research programme, involving individuals aged between 53 and 90+ years. We found evidence from the published literature to support the hypothesis that in Europeans the RR genotype is more common among sprint/power athletes compared with their

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controls. There is currently no evidence that the X allele is advantageous to endurance athleticism. We found no association between R577X and grip strength (p-value=0.09, n=7672 in males; p-value=0.90, n=7839 in females), standing balance, timed get up and go or chair rises in our studies of physical capability. The ACTN3 R577X genotype is associated with sprint/power athletic status in Europeans, but does not appear to be associated with objective measures of physical capability in the general population.

Birnie K, Cooper R, Martin RM, Kuh D, Aihie Sayer A, Alvarado BE, Bayer A, Christensen K, Cho S, Cooper C, Corley J, Craig L, Deary IJ, Demakakos P, Ebrahim S, Gallacher J, Gow AJ, Gunnell D, Haas S, Hemmingsson T, Inskip H, Jang S, Noronha K, Osler M, Palloni A, Rasmussen F, Santos-Eggimann B, Spagnoli J, Starr J, Steptoe A, Syddall H, Tynelius P, Weir D, Whalley LJ, Zunzunegui MV, Ben-Shlomo Y, Hardy R on behalf of the HALCyon study team. Childhood socioeconomic position and objectively measured physical capability levels in adulthood: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS ONE 2011; 6(1):e15564.

Abstract Background Grip strength, walking speed, chair rising and standing balance time are objective measures of physical capability that characterise current health and predict survival in older populations. Socioeconomic position (SEP) in childhood may influence the peak level of physical capability achieved in early adulthood, thereby affecting levels in later adulthood. We have undertaken a systematic review with meta-analyses to test the hypothesis that adverse childhood SEP is associated with lower levels of objectively measured physical capability in adulthood.  Methods and FindingsRelevant studies published by May 2010 were identified through literature searches using EMBASE and MEDLINE. Unpublished results were obtained from study investigators. Results were provided by all study investigators in a standard format and pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. 19 studies were included in the review. Total sample sizes in meta-analyses ranged from N=17,215 for chair rise time to N=1,061,855 for grip strength. Although heterogeneity was detected, there was consistent evidence in age adjusted models that lower childhood SEP was associated with modest reductions in physical capability levels in adulthood: comparing the lowest with the highest childhood SEP there was a reduction in grip strength of 0.13 standard deviations (95% CI: 0.06, 0.21), a reduction in mean walking speed of 0.07 m/s (0.05, 0.10), an increase in mean chair rise time of 6% (4%, 8%) and an odds ratio of an inability to balance for 5s of 1.26 (1.02, 1.55).  Adjustment for the potential mediating factors, adult SEP and body size attenuated associations greatly. However, despite this attenuation, for walking speed and chair rise time, there was still evidence of moderate associations.Conclusions

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Policies targeting socioeconomic inequalities in childhood may have additional benefits in promoting the maintenance of independence in later life.

Birnie K, Martin RM, Gallacher J, Bayer A, Gunnell D, Ebrahim S, Ben–Shlomo Y. Socio-economic disadvantage from childhood to adulthood and locomotor function in old age: a lifecourse analysis of the Boyd Orr and Caerphilly prospective studies. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2011; 65(11):1014-23. (associated HALCyon publication).

Abstract Background Socio-economic influences over a lifetime impact on health and may contribute to poor physical functioning in old age. Methods The authors examined the impact of both childhood and adulthood socio-economic factors on locomotor function at 63-86 years (measured with the get up and go timed walk and flamingo balance test) in the UK-based Boyd Orr (n=405) and Caerphilly (n=1196) prospective cohorts. Results There was a marked reduction in walking speed and balance time with increasing age. Each year of age was associated with a 1.7% slower walk time and a 14% increased odds of poor balance. Participants who moved from a low socio-economic position in childhood to a high socio-economic position in adulthood had 3% slower walking times (95% CI -2% to 8%) than people with a high socio-economic position in both periods. Participants who moved from a high socio-economic position in childhood to a low adulthood socio-economic position had 5% slower walking times (95% CI -2% to 12%). Participants with a low socio-economic position in both periods had 10% slower walking times (95% CI 5% to 16%; p for trend <0.001). In Boyd Orr, low socio-economic position in childhood was associated with poor balance in old age (OR per worsening category=1.26; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.57; p=0.043), as was socio-economic position in adulthood (OR=1.71; 95% CI 1.20 to 2.45; p=0.003). Similar associations were not observed in Caerphilly. Conclusion Accumulating socio-economic disadvantage from childhood to adulthood is associated with slower walking time in old age, with mixed results for balance ability.

Cooper R, Hardy R, Aihie Sayer A, Ben-Shlomo Y, Birnie K, Cooper C, Craig L, Deary IJ, Demakakos P, Gallacher J, McNeill G, Martin RM, Starr JM, Steptoe A and Kuh D on behalf of the HALCyon study team. Age and gender differences in physical capability levels from mid-life onwards: the harmonisation of data from eight UK cohort studies. PLoS ONE 2011; 6(11):e27899.

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AbstractUsing data from eight UK cohorts participating in the Healthy Ageing across the Life Course (HALCyon) research programme, with ages at physical capability assessment ranging from 50 to 90+ years, we harmonised data on objective measures of physical capability (i.e. grip strength, chair rising ability, walking speed, timed get up and go, and standing balance performance) and investigated the cross-sectional age and gender differences in these measures. Levels of physical capability were generally lower in study participants of older ages, and men performed better than women (for example, results from meta-analyses (N = 14,213 (5 studies)), found that men had 12.62 kg (11.34, 13.90) higher grip strength than women after adjustment for age and body size), although for walking speed, this gender difference was attenuated after adjustment for body size. There was also evidence that the gender difference in grip strength diminished with increasing age, whereas the gender difference in walking speed widened (p<0.01 for interactions between age and gender in both cases). This study highlights not only the presence of age and gender differences in objective measures of physical capability but provides a demonstration that harmonisation of data from several large cohort studies is possible. These harmonised data are now being used within HALCyon to understand the lifetime social and biological determinants of physical capability and its changes with age.

Cooper R, Mishra GD, Kuh D. Physical activity across adulthood and physical performance in midlife. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2011; 41(4):376-384.

AbstractBackgroundEvidence, mainly from cross-sectional studies, suggests that physical activity is a potentially important modifiable factor associated with physical performance and strength in older age. It is unclear whether the benefits of physical activity accumulate across life or whether there are sensitive periods when physical activity is more influential.PurposeTo examine the associations of leisure-time physical activity across adulthood with physical performance and strength in midlife, and to test whether there are cumulative benefits of physical activity.MethodsUsing data on approximately 2400 men and women from the UK Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, followed up since birth in March 1946, the associations of physical activity levels during leisure time self-reported prospectively at ages 36, 43, and 53 years with grip strength, standing balance, and chair rise times, assessed by nurses at age 53 years (in 1999), were examined in 2010.ResultsThere were independent positive effects of physical activity at all three ages on chair rise performance, and at ages 43 and 53 years on standing balance performance, even after adjusting for covariates. These results were supported by evidence of cumulative effects found when using structured life

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course models. Physical activity and grip strength were not associated in women and, in men, only physical activity at age 53 years was associated with grip strength.ConclusionsThere are cumulative benefits of physical activity across adulthood on physical performance in midlife. Increased activity should be promoted early in adulthood to ensure the maintenance of physical performance in later life.

Cooper R, Huisman M, Kuh D, Deeg DJH.  Do positive psychological characteristics modify the associations of physical performance with functional decline and institutionalisation? Findings from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 2011; 66:468-477.

AbstractObjectives To investigate whether three positive psychological characteristics, related to sense of control, modify the associations of physical performance levels with subsequent functional decline and institutionalization.Methods 1532 men and women participating in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam and not living in an institution in 2005-6 were included. Mastery, self-efficacy, investment in independence and objective physical performance scores were ascertained in 2005-6.  Functional decline and institutionalization were assessed after 3y of follow-up.  Results The association between lower physical performance levels and increased odds of functional decline was modified by investment in independence, with a weaker association found among people with higher investment in independence scores than in people with lower scores even after adjustment for covariates.  The association between lower physical performance levels and higher odds of institutionalization was marginally weaker among those people with above median levels of mastery (test of interaction p=0.08).  In men an association between general self-efficacy and functional decline was found and maintained after adjustments.ConclusionsPositive psychological characteristics, related to sense of control, play a role in the transition between stages in the disablement process.  Specific psychological characteristics may be associated with different stages of the disablement process and may in turn be affected by disablement.

Cooper R, Kuh D, Cooper C, Gale CR, Lawlor DA, Matthews F, Hardy R and the FALCon and HALCyon study teams. Objective measures of physical capability and subsequent health: a systematic review. Age and Ageing 2011; 40:14-23.

AbstractBackground

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Measures of physical capability may be predictive of subsequent health, but existing published studies have not been systematically reviewed. We hypothesised that weaker grip strength, slower walking speed and chair rising and shorter standing balance time, in community-dwelling populations, would be associated with higher subsequent risk of fracture, cognitive outcomes, cardiovascular disease, hospitalisation and institutionalisation.Methods Studies were identified through systematic searches of the electronic databases MEDLINE and EMBASE (to May 2009). Reference lists of eligible papers were also manually searched.ResultsTwenty-four papers had examined the associations between at least one physical capability measure and one of the outcomes. As the physical capability measures and outcomes had been assessed and categorised in different ways in different studies, and there were differences in the potential confounding factors taken into account, this made it impossible to pool results. There were more studies examining fractures than other outcomes, and grip strength and walking speed were the most commonly examined capability measures. Most studies found that weaker grip strength and slower walking speed were associated with increased risk of future fractures and cognitive decline, but residual confounding may explain results in some studies. Associations between physical capability levels and the other specified outcomes have not been tested widely.Conclusions There is some evidence to suggest that objective measures of physical capability may be predictors of subsequent health in older community-dwelling populations. Most hypothesised associations have not been studied sufficiently to draw definitive conclusions suggesting the need for further research.

Cooper R, Kuh D, Hardy R and the Mortality Review Group on behalf of the FALCon and HALCyon study teams. Objectively measured physical capability levels and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2010; 341:c4467.

AbstractObjective To do a quantitative systematic review, including published and unpublished data, examining the associations between individual objective measures of physical capability (grip strength, walking speed, chair rising, and standing balance times) and mortality in community dwelling populations. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Relevant studies published by May 2009 identified through literature searches using Embase (from 1980) and Medline (from 1950) and manual searching of reference lists; unpublished results were obtained from study investigators. Study selection

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Eligible observational studies were those done in community dwelling people of any age that examined the association of at least one of the specified measures of physical capability (grip strength, walking speed, chair rises, or standing balance) with mortality. Data synthesis Effect estimates obtained were pooled by using random effects meta-analysis models with heterogeneity between studies investigated. Results Although heterogeneity was detected, consistent evidence was found of associations between all four measures of physical capability and mortality; those people who performed less well in these tests were found to be at higher risk of all cause mortality. For example, the summary hazard ratio for mortality comparing the weakest with the strongest quarter of grip strength (14 studies, 53 476 participants) was 1.67 (95% confidence interval 1.45 to 1.93) after adjustment for age, sex, and body size (I2=84.0%, 95% confidence interval 74% to 90%; P from Q statistic <0.001). The summary hazard ratio for mortality comparing the slowest with the fastest quarter of walking speed (five studies, 14 692 participants) was 2.87 (2.22 to 3.72) (I2=25.2%, 0% to 70%; P=0.25) after similar adjustments. Whereas studies of the associations of walking speed, chair rising, and standing balance with mortality have only been done in older populations (average age over 70 years), the association of grip strength with mortality was also found in younger populations (five studies had an average age under 60 years). Conclusions Objective measures of physical capability are predictors of all cause mortality in older community dwelling populations. Such measures may therefore provide useful tools for identifying older people at higher risk of death.

Dodds R, Denison HJ, Ntani G, Cooper R, Cooper C, Sayer AA and Baird J. Growth in early life and muscle strength: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging 2012; 16(7):609-15 (associated HALCyon publication).

AbstractObjectiveLower muscle strength is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes in later life. The variation in muscle strength between individuals is only partly accounted for by factors in adult life such as body size and physical activity. The aim of this review was to assess the strength of the association between intrauterine development (indicated by birth weight) and subsequent muscle strength. DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis of studies that assessed the association between birth weight and subsequent muscle strength. ResultsNineteen studies met inclusion criteria with 17 studies showing that higher birth weight was associated with greater muscle strength. Grip strength was used as a single measure of muscle strength in 15 studies. Meta-analysis (13 studies, 20 481 participants, mean ages 9.3 to 67.5) showed a 0.86 kg (95%

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CI 0.58, 1.15) increase in muscle strength per additional kilogram of birth weight, after adjustment for age, gender and height at the time of strength measurement.Conclusion This review has found consistent evidence of a positive association between birth weight and muscle strength which is maintained across the lifecourse. Future work will be needed to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying this association, but it suggests the potential benefit of an early intervention to help people maintain muscle strength in later life.

Elliott J, Gale C, Kuh D, Parsons S. A qualitative sub-study of the National Study of Health and Development and the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. The design and content of the HALCyon qualitative study. Centre for Longitudinal Studies Cohort Studies Working paper 2011/5.

AbstractThis paper provides an overview of the design of a qualitative sub-study of 30 members of the 1946 British birth cohort study, known as the Medical Research Council (MRC) National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD), and 30 members of the older Hertfordshire Cohort Study (HCS) who were born between 1931 and 1939. Interviews were carried out in 2010 as part of the Healthy Ageing across the Life Course (HALCyon) collaborative research programme. The central objective of this part of the research programme was to use qualitative in-depth biographical interviews to help understand how an individual’s self-reported physical capability impacts on their health, wellbeing and social interaction. In this descriptive methodological paper, we focus on the content of the interview topic guide, our sampling strategy and on the characteristics of the sample that was achieved in comparison with the overall survey population. Descriptive summary statistics and brief examples of responses to key questions are included.

Gale CR, Cooper R, Craig L, Elliott J, Kuh D, Richards M, Starr JM, Whalley LJ, Deary IJ on behalf of the HALCyon Study Team. Cognitive Function in Childhood and Lifetime Cognitive Change in Relation to Mental Wellbeing in Four Cohorts of Older People. PLoS ONE 2012; 7(9): e44860.

AbstractBackgroundPoorer cognitive ability in youth is a risk factor for later mental health problems but it is largely unknown whether cognitive ability, in youth or in later life, is predictive of mental wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether cognitive ability at age 11 years, cognitive ability in later life, or lifetime cognitive change are associated with mental wellbeing in older people.Methods

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We used data on 8191 men and women aged 50 to 87 years from four cohorts in the HALCyon collaborative research programme into healthy ageing: the Aberdeen Birth Cohort 1936, the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921, the National Child Development Survey, and the MRC National Survey for Health and Development. We used linear regression to examine associations between cognitive ability at age 11, cognitive ability in later life, and lifetime change in cognitive ability and mean score on the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and meta-analysis to obtain an overall estimate of the effect of each.ResultsPeople whose cognitive ability at age 11 was a standard deviation above the mean scored 0.53 points higher on the mental wellbeing scale (95% confidence interval 0.36, 0.71). The equivalent value for cognitive ability in later life was 0.89 points (0.72, 1.07). A standard deviation improvement in cognitive ability in later life relative to childhood ability was associated with 0.66 points (0.39, 0.93) advantage in wellbeing score. These effect sizes equate to around 0.1 of a standard deviation in mental wellbeing score. Adjustment for potential confounding and mediating variables, primarily the personality trait neuroticism, substantially attenuated these associations. ConclusionAssociations between cognitive ability in childhood or lifetime cognitive change and mental wellbeing in older people are slight and may be confounded by personality trait differences.

Gale C, Allerhand M, Deary I and the HALCyon Study Team. Depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive ability but not with age-related cognitive decline: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Psychological Medicine – in press.

AbstractBackground Cross-sectional surveys of older people commonly find associations between higher levels of depressive symptoms and poorer cognitive performance, but the direction of effect is unclear. We examined whether there was a bidirectional relationship between depressive symptoms and general cognitive ability in non-demented older people, and explored the role of physical health, smoking, exercise, social class and education as potential confounders of this association and as possible determinants of the rate of change of cognitive decline and depressive symptoms.MethodThe English Longitudinal Study of Ageing consists of people aged 50 and over. Cognitive function and self-reported depressive symptoms were measured in 2002-3, 2004-5, 2006-7, and 2008-9. We fitted linear piecewise models with fixed knot positions to allow different slopes for different age-groups. Analyses are based on 8,611 people. ResultsMean cognitive function declined with age; there was no trend in the trajectory of depressive symptoms. Better cognitive function was associated with less

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depression up to age 80. Greater depression was associated with a slightly faster rate of cognitive decline but only in people aged 60-80. There were no consistent associations across age-groups between sex, smoking, education, social class, exercise or number of chronic physical illnesses and the rate of change of cognitive decline or depressive symptoms.ConclusionsIn this longitudinal study of older people, there was no consistent evidence that being more depressed led to an acceleration in cognitive decline and no support for the hypothesis that there might be reciprocal dynamic influences between cognitive ability and depressive symptoms.

Gale C, Dennison E, Cooper C, Aihie Sayer A. Neighbourhood environment and positive mental health in older people: the Hertfordshire Cohort Study. Health and Place 2011; 17(4):867-74 (associated HALCyon publication).

AbstractLittle is known about the potential effects of neighbourhood environment on positive mental health in older people. We examined cross-sectional associations between the Index of Multiple Deprivation Score of the census area of residence, perceptions of neighbourhood cohesion and neighbourhood problems and mental wellbeing, as measured by the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental wellbeing Scale, in 1157 men and women aged 69-78 years from Hertfordshire, UK. We found no association between area-level deprivation and mental wellbeing. People who felt a stronger sense of cohesion within their neighbourhood and reported fewer neighbourhood problems had higher levels of mental wellbeing, independently of social class, income, presence of limiting illness or disability, mobility problems, and perceived social support. Adjustment for emotional stability attenuated the associations between mental wellbeing and both these measures of perceived neighbourhood environment, particularly in the case of neighbourhood problems. How older people feel about their neighbourhood may be important for positive mental health in later life.

Gale, CR, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C, Dennison E, Starr J, Whalley L, Gallacher J, Ben-Shlomo Y, Kuh D, Hardy R, Craig L, Deary IJ and the HALCyon study team. Factors associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression in five cohorts of community-based older people: the HALCyon (Healthy Ageing across the Life Course) Programme. Psychological Medicine 2011; 41(10):2057-73.

AbstractBackground Symptoms of anxiety and depression are common in older people, but the relative importance of factors operating in early and later life in influencing risk is unclear, particularly in the case of anxiety.Methods

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We used data from five cohorts in the HALCyon collaborative research programme into healthy ageing: the Aberdeen Birth Cohort 1936, the Caerphilly Prospective Study, the Hertfordshire Ageing Study, the Hertfordshire Cohort Study, and the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921. We used logistic regression to examine the relation between factors from early and later life and risk of anxiety or depression, defined as scores of 8 or more on the subscales of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and meta-analysis to obtain an overall estimate of the effect of each.Results Greater neuroticism, poorer cognitive or physical function, greater disability, and taking more medications were associated in cross-sectional analyses with an increased overall likelihood of anxiety or depression. Associations between lower social class, either in childhood or currently, history of heart disease, stroke or diabetes and increased risk of anxiety or depression were attenuated and no longer statistically significant after adjustment for potential confounding or mediating variables. There was no association between birthweight and anxiety or depression in later life. ConclusionAnxiety and depression in later life are both strongly linked to personality, cognitive and physical function, disability and state of health, measured concurrently. Possible mechanisms that might underlie these associations are discussed.

Gale CR, Deary IJ, Kuh D, Huppert FA, Richards M. Neuroticism in adolescence and cognitive function in mid life in the British 1946 birth cohort: the HALCyon programme. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Science 2010; 65B:50-6.

AbstractWe examined whether higher levels of neuroticism in adolescence were associated with poorer cognitive function in mid-life in 2071 members of the British 1946 birth cohort. Higher neuroticism at age 13 was associated with poorer performance on tests of verbal ability, verbal fluency and verbal memory at age 53 in sex-adjusted analyses. However, higher neuroticism was also associated with poorer cognitive performance at age 8. After adjustment for childhood cognition or educational attainment, the associations between neuroticism at age 13 and mid-life cognition ceased to be statistically significant. The link between neuroticism and subsequent cognitive ability may be a reflection of a long-standing correlation between the stable aspects of these traits since childhood, but further measurements of both traits are needed to confirm this.

Gale CR, Allerhand M, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C, Dennison E, Starr J, Ben-Shlomo Y, Gallacher J, Kuh D, Deary IJ. The structure of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in four cohorts of community-based, healthy older people. International Psychogeriatrics 2010; 22:559-71.

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Abstract BackgroundThe Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is widely used, but evaluation of its psychometric properties has produced equivocal results. Little is known about its structure in non-clinical samples of older people. MethodsWe used data from four cohorts in the HALCyon collaborative research programme into healthy ageing: the Caerphilly Prospective Study, the Hertfordshire Ageing Study, the Hertfordshire Cohort Study, and the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921. We used exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis with multi-group comparisons to establish the structure of the HADS and test for factorial invariance between samples. ResultsExploratory factor analysis showed a bi-dimensional structure (anxiety and depression) of the scale in men and women in each cohort. We tested a hypothesised three-factor model but high correlations between two of the factors made a two-factor model more psychologically plausible. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the sizes of the respective item loadings on the two factors were effectively identical in men and women from the same cohort. There was more variation between cohorts, particularly those from different parts of the UK and in whom the HADS was administered differently. Differences in social-class distribution accounted for part of this variation.ConclusionsScoring the HADS as two subscales of anxiety and depression is appropriate in non-clinical populations of older men and women. However, there were differences between cohorts in the way that individual items were linked with the constructs of anxiety and depression, perhaps due to differences in socio-cultural factors and/or in the administration of the scale.

Gardner MP, Lightman S, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C, Cooper R, Deeg D, Ebrahim S, Gallacher J, Kivimaki M, Kumari M, Kuh D, Martin RM, Peeters G, Ben-Shlomo Y and the HALCyon study team. Dysregulation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and physical performance at older ages: an individual participant meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.04.016.

SummaryThe association between functioning of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and physical performance at older ages remains poorly understood. We carried out meta-analyses to test the hypothesis that dysregulation of the HPA axis, as indexed by patterns of diurnal cortisol release, is associated with worse physical performance. Data from six adult cohorts (ages 50-92 years) were included in a two stage meta-analysis of individual participant data. We analysed each study separately using linear and logistic regression models and then used meta-analytic methods to pool the results. Physical performance outcome measures were walking speed, balance time, chair rise time and grip strength. Exposure measures were morning (serum and salivary) and evening (salivary) cortisol. Total sample

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sizes in meta-analyses ranged from N=2,146 for associations between morning Cortisol Awakening Response and balance to N=8,448 for associations between morning cortisol and walking speed. A larger diurnal drop was associated with faster walking speed (standardised coefficient per SD increase 0.054, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.029, 0.081, p < 0.001; age and gender adjusted) and a quicker chair rise time (standardised coefficient per SD increase -0.075, 95% CI -0.116, -0.034, p < 0.001; age and gender adjusted). There was little evidence of associations with balance or grip strength. Greater diurnal decline of the HPA axis is associated with better physical performance in later life. This may reflect a causal effect of the HPA axis on performance or that other ageing-related factors are associated with both reduced HPA reactivity and performance.

Gardner M, Lightman S, Gallacher J, Hardy R, Kuh D, Ebrahim S, Bayer T, Ben-Shlomo Y. Diurnal cortisol patterns are associated with physical performance in the Caerphilly Prospective Study (CaPS). International Journal of Epidemiology 2011; 40(6):1693-702.

Abstract Background Cross-sectional studies have suggested that elevated cortisol is associated with worse physical performance, a surrogate of ageing. We examined the relationship between repeat cortisol measures over twenty years and physical performance in later life.MethodsMiddle aged men (45-59 years) were recruited between 1979-1983 (phase 1) from the Caerphilly Prospective Study (CaPS) and re-examined 20 years later aged 65-83 years old (phase 5). Participants included 750 and 898 subjects with either phase 1 and/or phase 5 data on exposure and outcomes. Outcome measures were walking speed and balance time and exposures included morning fasting serum cortisol (phase 1) and 4 salivary samples on two consecutive days (phase 5). Results Faster walking speed was associated with higher morning cortisol at phase 1 (coefficient per SD increase 0.68, 95% CI 0.09, 1.27, p = 0.02) though this was attenuated after adjustment for covariates (coefficient per SD increase 0.45, 95% CI -0.16, 1.07, p = 0.15). Higher night time cortisol at phase 5 was associated with slower speed (coefficient per SD increase -1.06, 95% CI -1.60, -0.52, p <0.001) and poorer balance (odds ratio of top tertile versus bottom 2.49, 95% CI 1.63, 3.81, p<0.001). Worst performance was seen for men with a poor morning response (phase 1) and less nocturnal decline (phase 5). Conclusions Dysregulation of the HPA axis is associated with worse physical performance in later life. This may reflect a causal effect of the HPA axis on ageing or that ageing itself is associated with reduced HPA reactivity.

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Gow A, Johnson W, Mishra G, Richards M, Kuh D, Deary I. Is age kinder to the initially more able?: Yes, and no. Intelligence 2012; 40: 49-59.

Abstract Although a number of analyses have addressed whether initial cognitive ability level is associated with age-related cognitive decline, results have been inconsistent. Latent growth curve modeling was applied to two aging cohorts, extending previous analyses with a further wave of data collection, or as a more appropriate analytical methodology than used previously. In the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921, cognitive ability at age 11 was not associated with cognitive change from age 79 to 87, either in general cognitive ability, or in tests of reasoning, memory and executive function. However, data from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development suggested that higher cognitive ability at age 15 predicted less decline between ages 43 and 53 years in a latent cognitive factor from tests of verbal memory and search speed, and in search speed when considered separately. The results are discussed in terms of the differences between the cohorts and the interpretability of the analytical approach. Suggestions are made about when initial ability might be cognitively protective, and study requirements to bring about a clearer resolution.

Kuh D and the HALCyon Study Team. Life course influences: the legacy of early and middle life on active and healthy ageing. Social Determinants of Healthy Ageing. WHO Solid Facts. World Health Organization.

Abstract – Not available as this is an editorial.

Kuh D, Cooper R, Richards M, Gale C, von Zglinicki T, Guralnik J. A life course approach to healthy ageing: The HALCyon programme. Public Health 2012;126 (3):193-5.

AbstractHealthy ageing across the life course (HALCyon) is an interdisciplinary research collaboration that harnesses the power of nine UK cohort studies to discover life course influences on physical and cognitive capability, social and psychological well-being, and underlying biology. In this symposium, HALCyon co-investigators reported the first wave of findings from five of the eight work packages.

Kuh D, NDA Preparatory Network. Unconventional views of frailty. Guest editorial. A life course approach to healthy aging, frailty, and capability. Journal of Gerontology (Medical Sciences). 2007;62A:717-721.

Abstract – Not available as this is an editorial.

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Mishra G, Gale C, Aihie Sayer A, Cooper C, Dennison E, Whalley L, Craig L, Kuh D, Deary I. How useful are the SF-36 subscales in older people: Mokken scaling of data from the HALCyon Programme. Quality of Life Research 2011; 20(7):1005-10.

AbstractPurposeTo evaluate two psychometric properties of SF-36, namely unidimensionality and reliability.MethodsThe data are from three cohorts in the HALCyon collaborative research programme into healthy ageing: Aberdeen Birth Cohort 1936 (n = 428), Hertfordshire Ageing Study (n = 358) and Hertfordshire Cohort Study (n = 3,216). The Mokken scaling model was applied to each sub-scale of SF-36 to evaluate unidimensionality as indicated by scalability. The lower bound for internal consistency reliability was determined by Cronbach's alpha.ResultsAll six sub-scales of SF-36, with the exception of general health (GH) and mental health (MH), demonstrated strong scalability (0.5 ≤ H < 1). The results were consistent across all 3 cohorts. Both GH and MH showed medium scalability (0.4 ≤ H <0.55), although individual items 'sick easier..', 'as healthy as..' and 'expect to get worse' of the GH sub-scale and 'nervous', 'happy' in the MH sub-scale had low scalability (H < 0.4) in the oldest cohort (aged 73-83). Cronbach's alphas for all sub-scales were between 0.70 and 0.92.ConclusionsThe unidimensionality and reliability of the sub-scales of SF-36 are sufficient to make this a useful measure of health-related quality of life in older people. Caution is needed when interpreting the results for GH and MH in the oldest cohort due to the poor unidimensionality.

Mulla UZ, Cooper R, Mishra GD, Kuh D, Stephen AM. Adult macronutrient intake and physical capability in the MRC National Survey of Health and Development. Age and Ageing – in press.

AbstractBackgroundPoor physical capability is associated with higher subsequent risk of disability and mortality in older people. Energy and macronutrient intakes may play a role in the maintenance of physical capability. This analysis aimed to examine the role of intakes of energy and the macronutrients, protein, carbohydrate, and fat in early and mid-adulthood on objective measures of physical capability in later adulthood in the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (1946 British birth cohort). MethodsAdult diet assessed by 5 day diary at 36 years (1982) and 43 years (1989). Physical capability was assessed at 53 years. Objective measures were height, weight and three measures of physical capability: grip strength, standing balance time and chair rises.

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ResultsUsing multiple linear regression analysis, modest positive associations were found between energy intake at 36 and 43 years and grip strength at 53 years. Results for macronutrients were mixed although there was some indication of relationships of protein intake with grip strength and standing balance time.ConclusionsHigher energy intake in midlife may play a role in the prevention of muscle weakness in later life. Higher protein intakes may also be related to physical capability but further research is needed.

Mulla U, Mishra GD, Richards M, Prynne CJ, Stephen AM and the HALCyon team. Major fruits as a common marker in cross-cohort analysis using dietary data acquired through different instruments. Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism 2009; 55 Supp 1:529-626.

AbstractHALCyon is a collaborative programme bringing together 9 UK cohorts to study healthy ageing. The nutrition work investigates the lifetime determinants of dietary intake and impact of this on the capacity to undertake the physical and mental tasks of daily living. Participants were born between 1918 and 1958 and are aged 50y and over. FFQs, Diet Diaries and 24hr recall have been collected.For fruit, most cohorts collected the frequency of 8 or 9 types, one collected data on apples, pears, oranges and bananas and fruit juice. This and varying assessment methods presented a major challenge for combining datasets.The common inclusion of the four fruits and juice (ff) in all cohorts unified them for fruit intake. The MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD) provided 2d recall and 5d diet diary information to validate use of the ff as an indicator of total fruit, and fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption, and recall versus diary.The 1d recall correlated significantly with the 5d diet diary for total fruit and total F&V intake. The ff accounted for 71% of all fruit intake in NSHD.Prevalence of food intake: In NSHD 71% of all respondents consumed the ff. This figure in other cohorts Boyd Orr, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Hertfordshire Ageing Study and Hertfordshire Cohorts Study was 94%, 86%, 98% and 45% respectively. In addition in NSHD, among fruit consumers 88% had the ff while among the fruit and vegetable consumers 71% had the ff.The four major fruits assessed in the UK can be used as a common marker of fruit intake for multi-cohort studies of diet and health.

Murray ET, Southall H, Aucott P, Tilling K, Kuh D, Hardy R, Ben-Shlomo Y. Challenges in examining area effects across the life course on physical capability in mid-life: Findings from the 1946 British Birth Cohort. Health Place 2012; 18(2):366-74.

Abstract

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A major limitation of past work linking area socioeconomic conditions to health in mid-life has been the reliance on single point in time measurement of area. Using the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, this study for the first time linked place of residence at three major life periods of childhood (1950), young adulthood (1972), and mid-life (1999) to area-socioeconomic data from the nearest census years. Using objective measures of physical capability as the outcome, the purpose of this study was to highlight four methodological challenges of attrition bias, secular changes in socio-economic measures, historical data availability, and changing reporting units over time. In general, standing balance and chair rise time showed clear cross-sectional associations with residing in areas with high deprivation. However, it was the process of overcoming the methodological challenges, which led to the conclusion that in this example percent low social class occupations was the most appropriate measure to use when extending cross-sectional analysis of standing balance and chair rise to life course investigation.

Murray ET, Strand BH, hardy R, Cooper R, Guralnik J, Kuh D. Gender and life course socioeconomic differences in trajectories of functional limitations in midlife: findings from the 1946 British birth cohort. Journal of Gerontology (Medical Sciences) 2011; 66(12):1350-9.

AbstractBackgroundOlder women and those of lower socioeconomic position (SEP) consistently constitute a larger portion of the disabled population than older men or those of higher SEP, yet no studies have examined when in the life course these differences emerge.MethodsPrevalence of self-reported limitations in the upper body (gripping or reaching) and lower body (walking or stair climbing) at 43 and 53 years were utilized from 1,530 men and 1,518 women from the British 1946 birth cohort. Generalized linear models with a binomial distribution were used to examine the effects of gender, childhood and adult SEP, and the differences in the SEP effects by gender on the prevalence of limitations at age 43 years and changes in prevalence from 43 to 53 years.ResultsFor both genders, the prevalence of upper and lower body limitations were reported at 3%-5% at age 43 years. However, by age 53 years, women's upper body limitations had increased to 28% and lower body limitations to 21%, whereas men's limitations had only increased to 12% and 11%, respectively. Men and women whose father's occupation was manual or whose adult head of household occupation was manual had higher prevalence of both limitations compared with those with non-manual backgrounds. These differences widened with age, especially in women. The effect of adult SEP on the prevalence of limitations was stronger than that of childhood SEP and was partly mediated by educational attainment.Conclusion

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Our findings provide the first evidence that prevention of disability in old age should begin early in midlife, especially for women from manual occupation households.

Parsons S, Gale C, Kuh D, Elliott J and the HALCyon study team. Physical capability and the advantages and disadvantages of ageing: perceptions of older age by men and women in two British cohorts. Ageing and Society – in press.

AbstractIn an increasingly ageing society, its older members are receiving considerable political and policy attention. However, much remains to be learnt about public perceptions of older age, particularly the views and experiences of older individuals themselves. Drawing on qualitative interviews carried out with members of two British cohorts (n=60) who have reached the ‘third age’, this paper discusses perceptions of age, focusing particularly on how perceived advantages and disadvantages differ by respondents self-reported physical capability. The interviews were carried out in 2010 as part of the HALCyon (Healthy Ageing across the Life Course) collaborative research programmei. Findings suggest there is some difference in the way older people view aspects of ageing by capability and that although advantages are widely perceived, physical decline and associated health concerns were the overwhelming theme across the conversations. The article concludes by making tentative suggestions to inform the positive ageing agenda and its related policies.

Strand BH, Cooper R, Hardy R, Kuh D and Guralnik JM. Lifelong socioeconomic position and physical performance in midlife: Results from the British 1946 birth cohort. European Journal of Epidemiology 2011; 26(6):475-483.

AbstractSocioeconomic position (SEP) across life is found to be related to adult physical performance, but the underlying pathways are not well characterized. Using a British birth cohort (N = 2956), the associations of SEP from childhood into midlife with objective physical performance measures in midlife were examined, adjusting for possible confounders or mediators, including indicators of muscle development and central nervous system function. Childhood and adulthood SEP were positively related to standing balance and chair rise performance, but not to grip strength after basic adjustments. When both father's occupation and mother's education were included in the same model, having a mother with low education was associated with 0.6 standard deviations (SD) (95% confidence interval (CI: 0.3, 0.8)) poorer standing balance time compared with having a mother with the highest educational level, and having a father in the lowest occupational group was associated with a 0.3 SD (95% CI: 0.1, 0.6) lower chair rise score compared with having a father in the highest occupational group. These associations were

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maintained, albeit attenuated, after adjustment. In contrast, the associations of own education and adult occupation with physical performance were generally not maintained after adjustment. SEP across life impacts on midlife physical performance, and thereby the ageing process.

von Zglinicki T. Will your telomeres tell your future? BMJ 2012; 344:e1727.

Abstract – Not available as this is an editorial.

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i