English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Patterns of employment among those in their 50s and 60s have changed substantially in recent decades. In a context of rising life expectancy and an ageing UK population, understanding the factors… Health, wealth and employment in the run up to state pension age

STARTING NOW: Health, wealth and employment in the run up to state pension age

Join the launch of our new report on health and employment for those in their 50s and 60s.

🖥️ Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKzS...
❓ Ask questions here: app.sli.do/event/1eFR29...

Resilience in later life: ELSA study finds older adults often maintain good mental health after major life events New research using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) reveals that older adults in England exhibit resilience in the face of significant life changes, such as bereavement, retir...

📈New ELSA research reveals that many older adults in England maintain stable mental health following major life events such as bereavement, retirement or hospitalisation:

bit.ly/4nCKzMc

#LaterLife #MentalHealth #AgeingWell

ELSA latest data release and data user event Join us for an online update on ELSA W11 including a data user sesssion and Gateway to Global Aging Data session.

Book your place at the ELSA latest data release and data user event:

📅Wednesday 3rd December, 11am-3pm
📝Hear all the latest developments in Wave 11 and plans for the future
📊Submit your data queries
🌎Get a guided tour of the @g2aging.bsky.social

Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/elsa-lates...

Dementia risk for people who quit smoking in middle age ‘same as someone who never smoked’ Research finds kicking the habit halves rate of decline in verbal fluency and slows memory loss by 20%

People who stop #smoking in middle age could reduce their cognitive decline so dramatically that within 10 years their chances of developing dementia are the same as someone who has never smoked.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

More or Less - Does half the UK get more in benefits than they pay in tax? - BBC Sounds UK benefits, Zack Polanski’s billionaire claim and Gen Z job interviews.

Are older generations getting smarter?

Dr Mikaela Bloomberg (UCL IEHC) talks to Tim Harford on BBC Radio 4's "More or Less", about research finding that the average 70-year-old in 2022 has the same cognitive abilities as a 53-year-old in 2000.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Today’s inflation figure of 3.8% will be used for most benefit uprating next April. But state pension will rise in line with triple lock – based on earnings growth of 4.8%.

Below is my @theifs.bsky.social piece on issues around the triple lock and what we think is a better alternative.

NEW: What are the effects of the ‘triple lock’ and how could it be reformed?

Ahead of new inflation figures tomorrow, @heidikarj.bsky.social explains the nature of the state pension 'triple lock' and why reform is needed.

📗 Read the briefing here: ifs.org.uk/articles/wha...

Quitting smoking, even late in life, linked to slower cognitive decline Quitting smoking in middle age or later is linked to slower age-related cognitive decline over the long term, according to a new study by UCL researchers.

Quitting smoking in middle age or later is linked to slower cognitive decline over the long term, according to a new study led by Dr Mikaela Bloomberg @mapbloom.bsky.social that suggests, for cognitive health, "it is never too late to quit" @ucliehc.bsky.social @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social

Read the ELSA research behind the story: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Hormone therapy may help women stay in work after menopause, research suggests New research using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) finds that early and surgical menopause are linked to different patterns of employment during midlife, and that hormone the...

New ELSA research shows women with early or surgical menopause face greater risk of leaving work.

Hormone therapy soon after menopause could help more women stay employed:

bit.ly/3L4kNm7

#Menopause #WomensHealth #Workforce #MenopauseAtWork #ELSAstudy

Social prescribing rises sharply among England’s GPs More than one million people a year are now being referred by GPs to social prescribing services, according to a new study led by researchers at UCL.

More than one million people a year are now being referred by GPs to social prescribing services 🧑‍⚕️

"This underlines what a fundamental and important service social prescribing now is within the NHS" - Professor Daisy Fancourt www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/se...

Indoor wood burners linked to a decline in lung function Using a wood or coal burning stove or open fire at home may lead to a decline in lung function, suggests a new analysis from UCL researchers.

Lung function among people in England who used wood or coal burning stoves or open fires in their own home declined faster over eight years compared to those without these heat sources, finds a new analysis led by Dr Laura Horsfall @uclpophealthsci.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/se...

Chart shows effect of increasing state pension age from 60 to 65 on the weekly individual income of 60- to 64-year-old women. Title states: "Women aged 60–64 who were out of work at 58 saw their weekly income fall by £81 on average as a result of the state pension age increase."

NEW: Previous state pension age increases have not been felt equally: women already out of employment in their late 50s were particularly hard hit by the rise from 60 to 65 in the 2010s.

THREAD on Jonathan Cribb, Anna Henry and @heidikarj.bsky.social’s new research on state pension rises:

What should the upcoming State Pension Age Review consider? | Institute for Fiscal Studies This online event will discuss crucial context for the challenges the government faces in setting the state pension age.

EVENT: What should the upcoming State Pension Age Review consider?

Wed 17 Sept | 10:30 – 11:30 | Online

Join our event this week on the crucial context for the challenges the government faces in setting the state pension age.

➡️ Sign up here: ifs.org.uk/events/what-...

Job vacancies | ELSA Find events relating to the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Come and join the ELSA team! We are looking for a Research Fellow in Ageing and Epidemiology to work on a new NIHR-funded grant:

www.elsa-project.ac.uk/job-vacancies

📆Closing date: 8th October

Image shows two older women enjoying gaming on a sofa, holding controllers and expressing excitement and joy, credit: istock.com/mediaphotos, with Centre for Population Change and Connecting Generations logos. Accompanying text reads: Take part in research. Calling all gamers aged 65+: Shape understanding of how gaming influences wellbeing. Are you 65 or older, and have played some form of digital/video games? Take part in our online survey and help us discover how gaming can be used to improve wellbeing in later life

Are you 65+ or know someone who is?

We're seeking participants aged 65+ who play or have played digital/video games to complete an online survey to inform research on how #gaming can enhance later life wellbeing- please share! @ageingbetter.bsky.social

app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/stirling/e...

New article in The Conversation on grandparenting by Giorgio Di Gessa: who provides grandparental childcare in England, how often, and how this varies by gender and socio-economic background

#ELSAStudy #GrandparentCare #Ageing #Childcare

Monday anxiety found to leave lasting stress signs across body Spike in heart attacks on Mondays is unlikely to be a random phenomenon, researchers say

Monday anxiety found to leave lasting stress signs across body www.independent.co.uk/news/science...

📚 Read the ELSA research: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Dementia: are younger generations really less likely to develop the disorder, as a recent study has claimed? With a growing global population and a greater proportion of people living over the age of 65, it is likely dementia cases will actually increase.

New study suggests dementia rates declining in younger generations, but data limited by:
• High-income country data only
• Prediction models vs clinical diagnosis
• No socioeconomic analysis

Global projections still show cases rising to 139M by 2050
zurl.co/rMp4q

‘Govt must act swiftly after IFS findings to support pensions system’ Pensions have mostly made headlines recently for where funds might be invested. But this summer the government is expected to turn to two broader pension issues: the state pension age, and whether wor...

📰 "Govt must act swiftly after IFS findings to support pensions system"

Read an op-ed by David Gauke and Joanne Segars about our final Pensions Review report in the FT Adviser 👇

www.ftadviser.com/pension-refo...

Multinational evaluation of AnthropoAge as a measure of biological age in the USA, England, Mexico, Costa Rica, and China: a population-based longitudinal study - npj Aging npj Aging - Multinational evaluation of AnthropoAge as a measure of biological age in the USA, England, Mexico, Costa Rica, and China: a population-based longitudinal study

A new @nature.com NPJ aging study found a biological age metric and accelerated #aging predicted higher mortality risk and age-related health decline using Gateway #Harmonized HRS, @elsa-study.bsky.social, MHAS, CRELES, and CHARLS #data.
Read here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Abstract As populations age and informal caregiving becomes more widespread, the health consequences of providing care are becoming a key concern for societies. Sociological theories of stress appraisal and role strain posit detrimental consequences to the health and wellbeing of caregivers. Conversely, role enhancement theory holds that caregiving can have positive health consequences. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA) collected among adults aged 50 years or older with a follow-up period of up to 20 years (2002–23, 88,225 observations of 20,217 respondents), we examine associations between transitions into and out of caregiving, and two key health outcomes which have been understudied as consequences of caregiving, namely: allostatic load and cognitive functioning. We estimate asymmetric fixed-effects models which model changes in health outcomes as a function of transitions into and out of caregiving while accounting for unobserved between-person heterogeneity. Our results show that caregiving is associated with better cognitive health for both men and women, but not with improved biomarker-based allostatic load. Results do not differ by caregiving intensity. Our findings provide support for role enhancement theory, suggesting that caregivers benefit in terms of cognitive functioning, even if a biomarker-based approach to measuring stress-related health outcome does not corroborate an overall health benefit. We formulate implications for policy-making and directions for future research.

Panel A: Transitioning into caregiving is associated with lower allostatic load for men. Transitioning into caregiving is associated with better memory, and this association is stronger for women than for men. Panel B: Women’s memory functioning improves when they intensify their caregiving engagement. Coefficients from asymmetric fixed effects models controlling for age, marital status, children, grandchildren, siblings, parents, income, and wealth. Spikes denote 95% confidence intervals. Full models reported in the Appendix, Table A.3, Table A.4.

NEW ARTICLE by CREST's @ppraeg.bsky.social in @ssreditorial.bsky.social: Dynamics of Later-Life Caregiving and Health. Insights From Biomarker Data and Cognitive Tests using @elsa-study.bsky.social

Co-authored with Ariane Bertogg and @klararaiber.bsky.social

OPEN ACCESS: doi.org/10.1016/j.ss...

Positive life outlook may protect against middle-aged memory loss Higher levels of wellbeing may help reduce the risk of memory loss in middle age, suggests a study led by UCL researchers, which tracked more than 10,000 over 50-year-olds across a 16-year span.

Higher levels of wellbeing may help reduce the risk of memory loss in middle age, suggests a study led by Dr Amber John and Prof Joshua Stott @uclpals.bsky.social @uclbrainscience.bsky.social www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/ju...

🌍 This week I & @elsa-study.bsky.social team, had the privilege of hosting an international workshop of The Gateway to Global Aging Environmental Exposome Research Group focused on research into the impact of air pollution and extreme temperatures on brain health, mental health, and physical health

🗓️ Note that this is the unweighted dataset, weighted data due to be archived later this month

🚨ICYMI: ELSA Wave 11 data now available on UKDS:

beta.ukdataservice.ac.uk/datacatalogu...

Dynamics of Unmet Social Care Needs and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults: Evidence From a Prospective Study in England This study examines the dynamics of unmet social care needs and the impact on depressive symptoms in a longitudinal study of older people in England. Using data from Waves 8 and 9 of the English Long...

🔖 NEW article using @elsa-study.bsky.social

Older adults who struggle with daily tasks are more likely to have depressive symptoms, esp. if they experience #loneliness or difficulties accessing #care, so timely access to #socialcare + tackling loneliness could help later life #mentalhealth

Read the research behind the story that used ELSA data: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Are you interested in helping UCL researchers map how air pollution affects your health? UCL researchers invite adults aged 50 and over to take part in a five-day pilot study of everyday air pollution and health.

👥 Are you 50+? Help researchers map how air pollution impacts our health 🌬️❤️

⌚ Wear an activity and air quality monitor for five days
📱 Complete a daily questionnaire
🎁 Get your personalised report + £30 voucher

Sign up now:
👉 www.elsa-project.ac.uk/post/are-you...

Depression linked to physical pain years later Middle-aged and older adults who experience pain are more likely to have had worsening symptoms of depression up to eight years before the pain began, according to a new study by UCL researchers.

Middle-aged and older adults who experience pain are more likely to have had worsening symptoms of depression up to eight years before the pain began, finds a new study led by Dr @mapbloom.bsky.social @ucliehc.bsky.social, suggesting depression therapy might reduce or delay later pain