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. 2025 Jun;40(6):705-720.
doi: 10.1007/s10654-025-01238-5. Epub 2025 May 14.

The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam: design and cohort update 2025

Emiel O Hoogendijk  1   2 , Natasja M van Schoor  3 , Yuwei Qi  3 , Marjolein Visser  4 , Joukje C Swinkels  5 , Marjolein I Broese van Groenou  5 , Almar A L Kok  3   6 , Tjalling J Holwerda  3 , H Roeline W Pasman  7 , Bregje D Onwuteaka-Philipsen  7 , Sharon Remmelzwaal  3 , Erik van Ingen  5 , Theo G van Tilburg  5 , Aimée-Claire van Haaster  3 , Marleen van der Horst  3 , Jan Poppelaars  3 , Dorly J H Deeg  3 , Martijn Huisman  3   5
Affiliations

The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam: design and cohort update 2025

Emiel O Hoogendijk et al. Eur J Epidemiol. 2025 Jun.

Abstract

The Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) is an ongoing prospective cohort study of older adults in the Netherlands, with data on multiple domains of functioning available over a period of more than 30 years of follow-up. The study started in 1992 with a nationally representative sample of older adults aged 55-84 years. Over the years, three refresher cohorts (two cohorts aged 55-64 years in 2002 and in 2012, and one cohort aged 60-86 years in 2024) were added. The main aim of LASA was to describe determinants, trajectories and consequences of (changes in) physical, cognitive, emotional and social functioning. LASA has multiple strengths, including its multidisciplinary character, the very long period of follow-up, and the cohort-sequential design which enables the study of longitudinal changes as well as historical time trends in functioning. So far, findings based on data from LASA have been reported in more than 800 scientific publications (see www.lasa-vu.nl ). In this article, we provide an update of the design and methods of LASA, including a description of several ancillary studies such as the Loneliness study and the COVID-19 study.

Keywords: Aging; COVID-19; Chronic disease; Cohort studies; Epidemiology; Frailty; Intrinsic capacity; Loneliness; Longitudinal studies; Mental health; Netherlands; Study design.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Cohorts and measurement waves of LASA
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Flowchart of the main measurement waves of the LASA study
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Timeline of LASA ancillary studies conducted since Wave J (2018–2019)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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