The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)
TILDA is a nationally representative longitudinal study conducted in the Republic of Ireland, aiming to enhance the quality of ageing in the country. It examines the health, lifestyles, and financial status of over 8,500 participants as they age, observing changes over time. Participants are community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and over, as well as their spouses, who were randomly selected to ensure equal representation across residential addresses in Ireland. The mean age of participants at baseline was 63.1 years, 55.5% were female, and 23.7% lived in the capital city or county of Dublin.
Study design
Cohort
Number of participants at first data collection
8,504 (participants)
Recruitment is ongoing
Age at first data collection
≥ 50 years (participants)
Participant year of birth
Varied (participants)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
National Irish population aged over 50 years.
Sample features
Country
Year of first data collection
2011
Primary Institutions
Trinity College Dublin
Profile paper DOI
Funders
Irish Government
Irish Life
The Atlantic Philanthropies
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)
- Self-report questionnaire – online
- Self-report questionnaire – paper or computer assisted
- None
- Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL)
- Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)
- Geographic, spatial & environmental data
- Healthcare data
Engagement
Keywords
Consortia and dataset groups
