title: The Longitudinal Urban Cohort Ageing Study (LUCAS): study protocol and participation in the first decade.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We present concept, study protocol and selected baseline data of the Longitudinal Urban Cohort Ageing Study (LUCAS) in Germany. LUCAS is a long-running cohort study of community-dwelling seniors complemented by specific studies of geriatric patients or diseases. Aims were to (1) Describe individual ageing trajectories in a metropolitan setting, documenting changes in functional status, the onset of frailty, disability and need of care; (2) Find determinants of healthy ageing; (3) Assess long-term effects of specific health promotion interventions; (4) Produce results for health care planning for fit, pre-frail, frail and disabled elderly persons; (5) Set up a framework for embedded studies to investigate various hypotheses in specific subgroups of elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2000, twenty-one general practitioners (GPs) were recruited in the Hamburg metropolitan area; they generated lists of all their patients 60 years and older. Persons not terminally ill, without daily need of assistance or professional care were eligible. Of these, n = 3,326 (48 %) agreed to participate and completed a small (baseline) and an extensive health questionnaire (wave 1). In 2007/2008, a re-recruitment took place including 2,012 participants: 743 men, 1,269 women (647 deaths, 197 losses, 470 declined further participation). In 2009/2010 n = 1,627 returned the questionnaire (90 deaths, 47 losses, 248 declined further participation) resulting in a good participation rate over ten years with limited and quantified dropouts. Presently, follow-up data from 2007/2008 (wave 2) and 2009/2010 (wave 3) are available. Data wave 4 is due in 2011/2012, and the project will be continued until 2013. Information on survival and need of nursing care was collected continuously and cross-checked against official records. We used Fisher's exact test and t-tests. The study served repeatedly to evaluate health promotion interventions and concepts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LUCAS shows that a cohort study of older persons is feasible and can maintain a good participation rate over ten years, even when extensive self-reported health data are collected repeatedly through self-filled questionnaires. Evidently individual health developments of elderly persons can be tracked quantifying simultaneously behaviour, co-morbidity, functional competence and their changes. In future, we expect to generate results of significance about the five study aims listed above.
authors: Albertinen-Haus Geriatrics Centre, Scientific Department at the University of Hamburg, Sellhopsweg 18-22, D-22459, Hamburg, Germany. ulrike.dapp@albertinen.de
authors: Ulrike
authors: U
authors: Dapp
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Anders
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: von Renteln-Kruse
authors: Stefan
authors: S
authors: Golgert
authors: Hans Peter
authors: HP
authors: Meier-Baumgartner
authors: Christoph E
authors: CE
authors: Minder
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data