File Store
Why do we need a study like NICOLA
Life expectancy is rising in Northern Ireland and it is predicted that 1 in 4 children born here today will celebrate their 100th birthday.
While this trend is good news, by 2048 almost half of the population will be aged over 50 years, thus posing many challenges for our society and policy makers.
For example: how can we best maintain and maximise independence and the health and wellbeing of older people?; how do we organise and fund the delivery of care services for older people and make adequate pension provision?; and what are the consequences for the labour market and employment, with an increasing population of people reaching the conventional retirement age?
In 2012, NICOLA was set up to
- explore why and how certain social, economic and biological factors are changing the lives of older people
- to understand how health, lifestyle, financial circumstances and wellbeing change with age
- to understand what it is like to grow older in Ireland
Our motto is…….“Understanding today for a healthier tomorrow ...”
The study has recruited 8,500 people from across Northern Ireland to provide a true representation of the Northern Ireland population. Our aim is to monitor these individuals and examine how their health, lifestyle, financial circumstances and overall wellbeing changes over the next 10 years.
What are the main aims of NICOLA
In 2012, NICOLA was set up to
- explore why and how certain social, economic and biological factors are changing the lives of older people
- to understand how health, lifestyle, financial circumstances and wellbeing change with age
- to understand what it is like to grow older in Ireland.
Our motto is…….“Understanding today for a healthier tomorrow ...”
How many people are taking part in the study
The study has recruited 8,500 people from across N.Ireland to provide a true representation of the N.Ireland population. Our aim is to monitor these individuals and examine how their health, lifestyle, financial circumstances and overall wellbeing changes over the next 10 years.
Who is in charge
Led by the Centre for Public Health at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), NICOLA benefits from extensive input from a wide range of research experts. These include the medical and health sciences, economics and management, social sciences, architecture and psychology. This enables a broad range of research to be carried out both within QUB and externally through collaboration with international research groups.
Who funds our study
NICOLA is supported by a range of funders who recognised the need for a population based study of ageing in N.Ireland. To date, these have included:
- UKCRC Centre of Excellence for Public Health Northern Ireland
- The Atlantic Philanthropies
- Northern Ireland Public Health Agency Research and Development Office (HSC R&D)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Northern Ireland Executive Office
- Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI)
- The Wellcome Trust and The Wolfson Foundation
- Queen’s University Belfast
How will NICOLA benefit people working in Northern Ireland
NICOLA is an invaluable resource for understanding what it means to be an older person in Northern Ireland.
The wealth of information collected will help:
¨ Provide a rich data source for researchers across various disciplines in Queen's University Belfast and facilitate national and international research collaborations
¨ Shape health and social care polices and other aspects of policy aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of older people
- Address issues related to social inclusion by giving the over 50's population a voice
¨ Form the basis of future age related research projects
¨ Change the way we live for the better!
Through NICOLA, we aim to understand the health needs and status of older people, the contributions that older people are making to society, the biological and/or environmental components that assist in successful ageing and the economic needs and status of older people.
In the words of NICOLA’s former Principal Investigator, Professor Ian Young -
“NICOLA will help us change the way we live for the better and those participating in the study will leave a tangible legacy for future generations"
Have any results been published from NICOLA
Early key findings from Wave 1 of NICOLA are now available. Please click here to download a copy.
NICOLA stands for the: Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing |
Why do we need a study like NICOLA
Life expectancy is rising in Northern Ireland and it is predicted that 1 in 4 children born here today will celebrate their 100th birthday.
While this trend is good news, by 2048 almost half of the population will be aged over 50 years, thus posing many challenges for our society and policy makers.
For example: how can we best maintain and maximise independence and the health and wellbeing of older people?; how do we organise and fund the delivery of care services for older people and make adequate pension provision?; and what are the consequences for the labour market and employment, with an increasing population of people reaching the conventional retirement age?
-
Requesting Access to NICOLA Data or Biological Samples
We aim to encourage and facilitate data access with all ‘bona fide’ researchers and research organisations as defined by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (https://www.ukri.org/) and welcome proposals from researchers, either for collaborative projects or for other forms of data access in order to help advance research knowledge.
Researchers are required to take the following steps in order to access NICOLA data and/or biological samples.
1. Please read the NICOLA 'Data Access Policy' and 'Sample Access Policy' which describes in detail the general processes and procedures involved in accessing the NICOLA data and sample resource
2. You may find it useful to browse the list of research proposals (listed below) that have been approved by the Data Access Committee since 2017
3. Please download a copy of the 'Research Proposal Form'. For multiple projects individual forms must be submitted; one per project. Please click here to obtain a summary of topics from Waves 1 and 2.
Data dictionaries are also available which provide details of all the variables that are currently available from Waves 1 and 2. Please click on the following links to access the relevant data dictionary:
WAVE 1 DATA DICTIONARIES:Computer assisted personal interview (CAPI); Self-completion questionnaire (SCQ); Health assessment (HA) & Biochemical Biomarkers; Molecular biomarkers (including derived markers); Dietary data
WAVE 2 DATA DICTIONARIES: CAPI; SCQ; COVID-19 data
LINKED DATA DICTIONARIES: Northern Ireland Cancer Registry data
4. Please complete the checklist and submit with all completed documentation to nicola-research@qub.ac.uk. All research proposals will be considered by the NICOLA Data Access Committee who meet every other month. Please click here for the dates of the Data Access Committee meetings and deadlines for submitting research proposals. You should expect to receive a response regarding the outcome of your proposal to advise you whether or not your proposal has been approved.
5. Any amendments or revisions to a proposal (after it has been approved) should be addressed using the 'NICOLA Research Proposal Amendment Form'. This form should be submitted to nicola-research@qub.ac.uk. A typical amendment could include any of the following:
- Change to the researchers accessing the data, additional researchers being added to the proposal
- Change in institution/affiliation
- Any additional data required
- Change in funding source
Any queries regarding eligibility for requesting access to data or biological samples should be directed to the NICOLA Research Support Team (RST) @ nicola-research@qub.ac.uk prior to submitting your research proposal form.
Please note that at present, the NICOLA data is accessed via the ‘safe setting’ located within the Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast. Remote access can be facilitated via our secure server. NICOLA data can also be accessed via the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC) and the UK Data Service (UKDS) websites and will soon be available on the Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) and Gateway to Global Ageing.
- Research Proposals Approved
The following 'link' provides a list of research proposals approved by the NICOLA Data Access Committee since 2017. This may be a useful resource for planning your own research topic or for collaborating with other researchers working in a similar area of research.
- NICOLA Related Publications and Outputs
- Publishing / Presenting your NICOLA Research
A copy of all research outputs (e.g. full papers, reports, policy documents, PhD theses (NICOLA related chapters), media contributions) along with a completed NICOLA publications checklist must be sent to the NICOLA Research Support Team (nicola-research@qub.ac.uk) for approval, at least 28 days prior to journal submission. This includes any research output being placed in the public domain (for example working papers or non-peer reviewed papers). Conference abstracts do not have to be submitted prior to the conference but must be sent to the Research Support Team prior to being published in conference proceedings or journals. All research outputs will be read to check participant confidentiality is protected and to ensure that it will not bring the study into disrepute. Please 'click here' for an acknowledgments slide which can be used in oral or poster presentations that use the NICOLA data.