Overview
Increases in life expectancy and declining birth rates are leading to the rapid ageing of populations across the developed world. The population of Northern Ireland (NI) is undergoing a similar demographic shift resulting in a sustained increase in life expectancy. By 2028, it is estimated that 39% of the NI population will be aged 50 years or over; this is projected to rise to 43% by 2048 (NISRA 2018). Such demographic changes undoubtedly pose public health challenges for individuals and society, in terms of helping older adults maintain and maximize their independence, health, and well-being, and for policy makers aiming to support older adults through justifiable and appropriate provision of health and social care services.
In 2012, the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) was established as the first large-scale longitudinal cohort study of men and women aged 50 years and over in NI. Its aim is to explore the social, behavioral, economic,...
References
Cruise S, Kee F (eds) (2017) Early key findings from a study of older people in Northern Ireland: the NICOLA Study. Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast. Available at: https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/NICOLA/News/. Accessed 23 Nov 2018
Maguire L, Burns F, Clarke M (2015a) The NICOLA recruitment trial (NICOLA-RT): can you improve recruitment by making zero cost amendments to the invitation letter? Trials 16(Suppl 2):106. https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6215-16-S2-P106
Maguire L, Burns F, Clarke M (2015b) The NICOLA questionnaire trial (NICOLA-QT): a randomised trial of the effect of timing and mode of delivery on the completion and return of a self-assessment questionnaire. Trials 16(Suppl 2):107. https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6215-16-S2-P107
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2018) Principal projections (2016–2066) https://www.nisra.gov.uk. Accessed 23 Nov 2018
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Neville, C.E., Cruise, S.M., Burns, F. (2021). The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA). In: Gu, D., Dupre, M.E. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22009-9_346
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22009-9_346
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