The Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K)

Cohort 1:

W1: 2001-2004
W2: 2004-2007
W3: 2007-2010
W4: 2010-2012
W5: 2013-2015
W6: 2016-2018
W7: 2019-2021

Cohort 2:

W3: 2007-2010
W4: 2010-2012
W5: 2013-2015
W6: 2016-2018
W7: 2019-2021

Cohort 3:

W4: 2010-2012
W6: 2016-2019

Cohort 4:

W4: 2013-2015
W6: 2016-2018

SNAC-K – Care System Study
2001-2018

4.430

Number of Participants with Biological Samples: 3.800

60+

60+

Quantitative: questionnaires, cognitive measures, physical measures,
Biosamples: Blood
Administrative databases: Health databases, Vital statistics databases

Longitudinal

Biomarkers, brain-imaging data, lifestyle, and medical history over the life course, physical status and mental health status.

Each subject was examined for six hours on average; two hours for the social interview and the assessment of physical functioning (performed by a nurse); two hours for clinical examination, including geriatric, neurological and psychiatric assessment (performed by a physician); and two hours for cognitive assessment (performed by a psychologist).

The nurse interview assesses: demographic data, living arrangement, education and current and past occupational history, current and past socioeconomic status, life habits including alcohol consumption and smoking, physical functioning with information collected on ADL, IADL, motility and strength, sensory functions, observational tests concerning hand strength, walking speed and balance, use of medical and social facilities, and formal and informal care received and provided.

The clinical form includes: family and past clinical history, current and past use of drugs, geriatric examination (general status, heart with ECG and lung function, blood pressure measurements, and symptoms including pain), neurological examination (episodic and semantic memory, language, abstract thinking, praxis, visuospatial ability, gnosis and frontal lobe tests), dementia severity according to the Clinical Dementia Rating scale, psychiatric examination (Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale and Neuropsychiatric Inventory), laboratory tests for all subjects, and diagnostic conclusions according to standardized criteria.

The psychological test battery assesses five major cognitive domains: episodic memory, mental tempo, executive functioning, spatial function and semantic memory.

The self-administered questionnaire includes: social network, leisure activities, nutritional assessment, health related life quality (Short Form 12 Health Survey), Neugarten Life Satisfaction Index, well-being assessed by PANAS, and Ware´s Health Perceptions Questionnaire.

For a sub sample of 613 participants MRI brain scanning was done.

SNAC-K – Care System Study

Data were collected each year in the spring. All contact between older persons and the care system in the involved areas were recorded. It concerned the operations of the long-term care services system including volume and character of services provided in the relation to disability and other factors influencing needs.

The data collected assessed the provision of acute care, geriatric hospital care, home health care and home services. Additionally, information on housing and received informal or privately-funded care was collected. Demographic and functioning information were also collected. A record was also made when care services was discontinued and a special notification was made in case of death.

Aging Research Center (ARC), Karolinska Institutet

Prof. Laura Fratiglioni
laura.fratiglioni@ki.se