Longitudinal Design of the Berlin Aging Study (BASE) and Contents of Data Collection

The longitudinal follow-up of BASE participants has taken two main routes. First, survivors of the initial N = 516 sample were recontacted and asked to participate again in the Berlin Aging Study. In 1993-1994, a minimal interim follow-up took place with the N = 431 (83.5%) of the baseline sample who had survived. Of these, N = 361 (83.8%) participated fully in the single-session repeat of the multidisciplinary Intake Assessment. Further, on two occasions, 1995-1996 and 1997-1998, there were repeats of the multidisciplinary Intensive Protocol (reduced to 6 sessions). The second longitudinal strategy has involved following the sample for mortality. Table 2 summarizes the longitudinal design of the Berlin Aging Study.

Table 2:

Longitudinal Design of the Berlin Aging Study (BASE):
Assessments at each Occasion of Measurement

| Occasion of Measurement
| Time 1 (1990-93) | Time 2 (1993-94) | Time 3 (1995-96) | Time 4 (1997-98) | Time 5 (2000) | Time 6 (2004-05) | Time 7 (2005)
Assessment | Intensive Protocol in 14 sessions: | Short Protocol in 1 session: | Reduced Intensive Protocol in 6 sessions: | Reduced Intensive Protocol in 6 sessions: | Reduced Intensive Protocol in 3 sessions: | Reduced Intensive Protocol in 3 sessions: | Reduced Intensive Protocol in 1 sessions:
| 1 Multidisciplinary Intake Assessment 3 Psychiatry 3 Sociology 4 Geriatrics 3 Psychology | 1 Multidisciplinary Intake Assessment | 1 Multidisciplinary Intake Assessment 1 Psychiatry 1 Sociology 1 Geriatrics 1 Psychology 1 Everyday competence | 1 Multidisciplinary Intake Assessment 1 Psychiatry 1 Sociology 1 Geriatrics 1 Psychology 1 Everyday competence | 1 Multidisciplinary Intake Assessment 2 Psychology 1 Geriatrics | 1 Multidisciplinary Intake Assessment 2 Psychology 1 Geriatrics | 1 Multidisciplinary Intake Assessment
Intake Assessment completed | N = 516 | N = 361 | N = 244 | N = 164 | N = 88 | N = 47 | N = 38
Intensive Protocol completed | N = 516 | - | N = 206 | N = 132 | N = 82 | N = 46 | -
Survivors from the core sample | - | N = 431 | N = 313 | N = 239 | N = 164 |  |

Table 3 contains an overview of the main topics of data collection in the BASE longitudinal study for each research unit.

Table 3: Contents of Data Collection in the BASE longitudinal study

Multidisciplinary Intake Assessment
Main topics | Constructs/Indicators (Examples)
Demography | Age, education, marital status, etc.
Subjective Health | Physical Health; mental Health; memory; health Changes
Functional Capacity | Activities of Daily Living (ADL); physical performance
Changes in the past 12 months | Report of events
Objective Health | Anthropometry
Self and Personality | Well-being; Life satisfaction; "Selective optimization with compensation" (SOC)
Dementia | Dementia-screening
Intellectual Functioning | Perceptual speed; fluency
Depression | Depressive symptoms in the past 4 weeks
Treatment Needs | Medication; needs for nursing care
Social Activities | Satisfaction; changes in the past 12 months
Social Participation | Voting behavior
Income | Income and savings
Internal Medicine and Geriatrics Unit
Main topics | Constructs/Indicators (Examples)
Objective Health | Cardiovascular system; musculosceletal system; respiratory system; renal system; sensory system; anthropometry; morbidity profiles and courses
Functional Capacity | Activities of Daily Living (ADL); balance, coordination; mobility
Medication and Treatment Needs | Analyses of medication; risks of medication
Reference Values | Renal function; blood formation; calcium metabolism; glucose metabolism
Psychiatry Unit
Main topics | Constructs/Indicators (Examples)
General Psychopathology | Clinical diagnosis
Dementia Syndrome | Clinical diagnosis; differential diagnosis; test cut-off; neuropsychological tests
Depression | Clinical diagnosis; differential diagnosis; rating scales
Sleep | Interview on sleep behavior
Treatment Needs | Medication
Everyday Competence | Activity profiles; basic vs. expanded competence
Psychology Unit
Main topics | Constructs/Indicators (Examples)
Intelligence and Intellectual Functioning | Perceptual speed; reasoning; word fluency; knowledge; memory
Self and Personality | Personality dimensions; self-concept; self-regulatory processes
Social Relationships | Network structure; closeness/distance of persons; losses; social support; satisfaction with relationships, changes of the network
Sociology and Social Policy Unit
Main topics | Constructs/Indicators (Examples)
Social Participation | Activity level; religiosity; media consumption; political participation: voting behavior, political tendency, interest in politics
Later Phases of the Family Life Cycle | Current household structure/housing situation, changes since the last interview; changes in the structure of the family since the last interview (death of partner, death of children etc.); frequency of contacts with the children and grandchildren; intergenerational financial transfers; instrumental support between the generations; current quality of the social relationships with children and grandchildren, and in comparison to the past
Utilization of Social Support and Nursing Care | Need of care; received support from children and grandchildren; household help and nursing care; division of labor in the household; aids in the household

back to introduction