Historically CFAS has been comprised of grant holders in each centre working with other research collaborators to further the aims of CFAS. This was known as the Cooperative Group. As the study grew and data continues to be collected, new research themes have developed. Clicking on the theme titles will provide you with information about that theme. Much of the research is based on the biological and data resources which already exist in CFAS. There have been many findings reported on each area, papers can be searched by themes using the form in the "Publications" section.
Research Themes
CFAS Health and Health Service Policy theme group
The group lead: John Bond
Background to group
The aim of this group is to further work in the areas of health and health policy building on the basic epidemiological analysis completed by other theme groups. There exists a large amount of data within CFAS and particularly the RIS data set concerning broader health and social policy issues including detailed data on direct and indirect costs, social support and social networks, use of health and personal social services and medication. Secondary analysis of these data and longitudinal analyses of summary data from different waves of the study would provide substantial policy analysis on healthy ageing, informal care, and long-term care and resource consequences of ill-health in later life.
Remit
The health policy theme within CFAS is substantial and draws widely on core data on cognition (dementia and cognition theme group) and disability (healthy active life expectancy theme group). The group aims are:
- To review the original aims of the study (including RIS), and identify analysis that has currently been omitted from the analysis strategy.
- Provide support to collaborative groups who wish to use CFAS/RIS data for modelling purposes.
- To review existing and current research to generate hypotheses for future policy oriented research within CFAS, particularly in relation to any future cohorts (cohort theme group).
CFAS Healthy Active Life Expectancy (HALE) theme group
The group lead: C Jagger
Background to group
Although originally designed to investigate cognition, CFAS also includes data on physical functioning and health, and because of its longitudinal design, incidence of disability and other health transitions. At present CFAS is the only means of calculating health expectancies (such as Healthy Active Life Expectancy) at ages 65 years and above by social groups defined for example by education and that are nationally representative and include the population within long-term care. CFAS also has the largest numbers of the oldest-old (those aged 85 years and over – being the fastest growing section of the older population) than any other study and will not be superseded by the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). Inclusion of the population in long-term care is particularly important for this age group.
Remit of group
CFAS data has the potential to answer important public health concerns, such as inequalities (region, socio-economic group, education) in health and disability transitions as well as providing information for setting health targets, including the effect of particular diseases (such as diabetes) on both disability and mortality.
The aims of the theme group are:
- To continue work on the areas of disability and survival separately, including risk factors for disability and survival, the impact of particular diseases on disability and survival and survival with particular diseases.
- To continue work on health, disability and survival in combination through measures of health expectancy, both cross-sectional and multistate, and in particular inequalities in HALE by social class, education and region.
- To provide expert advice to users of CFAS data on disability items collected within CFAS and the disability scales operationalised from these items.
CFAS dementia and cognition theme group
The group lead: Fiona Mattews
Background to group
The dementia and cognition theme group was set up to move forward all research within this area, both work arising within the ‘core’ elements of the study, and any other area of dementia and cognition.
MRC CFAS was originally designed to investigate two competing philosophies of cognitive decline: - that it was a function of normal ageing versus it was a disease process. MRC CFAS has a large amount of data collected for the purposes of investigating dementia and cognition. Incidence, prevalence, longitudinal changes can all be estimated and risk factors for these changes can also be investigated. Put this together with the tissue resource and the genetic database and a vast amount of analysis can be undertaken. MRC CFAS has not had a heavy financial investment of clinicians’ time within the study; instead the study relies on the GMS, HAS and associated AGECAT algorithms for differential diagnosis of organic mental disorders.
Remit of group
There is considerable potential in the dementia and cognition area in CFAS, with prevalence, incidence, longitudinal changes and risk all measured, as well as sub-scales of all of the above. Some of these aspects are currently being investigated, however more data are there to be explored. The group aims to promote discussion on these estimates, clinical issues, testing possible candidate genes and investigating neuropathological factors. Component grants will rise from within this section to exploit the resource available.
Three aims for the theme group have been agreed:
- Review the original aims of the study, and investigate in detail analysis that has currently been omitted from the analysis strategy. In particular, a more detailed examination of cardiovascular and biochemical risk in dementia and its subtypes is warranted in the search for prevention and treatment.
- Pursue dementia and cognition research within CFAS, but also to expand this to provide insight into others studies and their results. Particularly using the data resource to investigate the mechanisms underlying the results and the validity of the criteria for the newer subtypes.
- Provide expert advice to assist users of the CFAS data with the meaning of the dementia and cognition measurements taken during the study.
The group lead: George Savva
Background
Within the CFAS data set information on depression has been collected using the GMS on all those who have undertaken the assessment interview. By virtue of the sampling strategies employed at various stages this means that the sample on whom depression status is known is a stratified random sample with people with cognitive impairment over-sampled.
Current status
Some analyses have been conducted of the prevalence phase of the CFAS study and a paper is in preparation. A component has been funded to examine midbrains from around 20 depressed but non-demented participants and compare these with 40 age and sex matched controls. The focus of attention will be the raphe nuclei, the source of serotoninergic projections to the rest of the brain. These nuclei are known to be damaged in Alzheimer's disease but it is not known if pathology here may contribute to late life depression.
- Research Information
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Background
- Brief Introduction
- Research Themes
- Bolt-on Studies
- Glossary of Terms
CFAS I
- Design and Interview
- Study Protocol
- Scientific Strategy
CFAS II
- Study Protocol
CFAS Wales
- Introduction
Documentation
- Study Information
- Consent Forms
- Neuropathology Forms
- Questionnaires
Data
- Data & Analysis
- Liverpool Data
Oversight
- Advisory Committee
- Biological Resources
- Fundings
- Ethics & Legal Aspects
- Archive Documents
- Management Structure
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