CLOSER Discovery

Data collection was carried out at home visits to cohort members by research nurses recruited and employed by the fieldwork partners Kantar Public and Medicals Direct Group (MDG). An electronic questionnaire (CAPI) was administered by nurses using laptop computers to ask about health, vision, hearing, knee and hand stiffness, medication use, disability, difficulties with daily activities, personal care, alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise, time spent sitting down and whether biological parents are still alive. Nurses also administered tests of lower body strength and balance, and made body measurements, and measured pulse rate, blood pressure, respiratory function and grip strength. They also took a non-fasting blood sample and while the bloods were prepared for centrifuging cohort members were asked to complete a short paper questionnaire that included the short (28 item) General Health Questionnaire including the psychosis screening questions. Nurses also administered the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive examination (ACE), visual search task and finger tapping test. At the end of the home visit cohort members were asked if they would like to wear an activity monitor for the following 7 days. Nurses left a short activity questionnaire with the study members who had consented to wear the monitor and this was to be completed and returned by post along with the monitor at the end of the 7 day period. The home visit, including blood sample collection, took place at age 69 for the majority (97%), and at 70 years for the remainder.

Study website: http://www.nshd.mrc.ac.uk/

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