Religious Orders Study (ROS)
ROS investigates memory and movement problems associated with ageing. The study recruits nuns, priests, and monks (brothers) of religious orders living communally, whether employed or retired, across the United States of America. Participants are from states including California, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington DC and Wisconsin. 354 participants were included in the baseline data collection in 1994. All participants have agreed to donate their brains for further research after death allowing for post-mortem studies. As of 2024, the study has over 1,500 active participants while autopsies have been conducted on 919 former participants.
Study design
Cohort
Number of participants at first data collection
1,503 (participants as of 2024)
Recruitment is ongoing
Age at first data collection
≥ 65 years (participants)
Participant year of birth
Varied (participants)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
No
Sample features
Country
Year of first data collection
1994
Primary Institutions
Rush University
Links
Profile paper DOI
Funders
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Ongoing?
Yes
Data types collected
- Computer, paper or task testing (e.g. cognitive testing, theory of mind doll task, attention computer tasks)
- Physical or biological assessment (e.g. blood, saliva, gait, grip strength, anthropometry)
- Secondary data
- Self-report questionnaire – unspecified
- Wearable devices
- None
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Census data
Engagement
Keywords
Consortia and dataset groups
