Treasure trove of data on aging publicly accessible

(Press-News.org) The Berlin Aging Study was carried out by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Freie Universität Berlin, and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in cooperation with partners from geriatrics, psychology, psychiatry, and the social sciences. BASE is regarded as a pioneering project of multidisciplinary gerontology, examining the lives of older Berliners aged between 70 and over 100 years.

A window into life in old age

Between 1990 and 1993, 516 inhabitants of former West-Berlin were interviewed and examined by geriatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, and sociologists. They were up to seven times reassessed across a period of almost 20 years.

The data set comprises up to 10,000 variables per person and includes information on the participants’ physical and mental health, life satisfaction, social inclusion, and economic situation. This makes it possible to answer questions such as: Why do people age differently? How do physical, psychological, and social factors contribute to a long life? And what happens to health and well-being in the final years of life?

“The Berlin Aging Study is a most valuable asset for research on aging,” says Ulman Lindenberger, Director of the Center for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. “So far only parts of the data have been analyzed. Many questions can still be answered with these data.” The data set includes detailed longitudinal data on health that can be associated with changes in other functional domains. For example, one could examine the links between dental health and cognitive functioning, between different aspects of social participation and dementia/depression, or between living conditions and loneliness.

From data collection to an open research archive

Since the early 1990s, more than 500 academic articles based on the BASE data have been published. The data also form the basis for successor studies such as the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II), and they are part of international research projects such as the European Lifebrain consortium that studies brain health.

The processed and integrated BASE data are now available at the ZPID Research Data Center in a standardized and well-documented format. “With BASE, we are extending our range by an internationally recognized gerontological data set,” says Katarina Blask, Head of Archiving and Publication Services at ZPID. “The provision of the structured data and the relevant accompanying materials according to FAIR principles allows researchers from all over the world to work with BASE data.”

A contribution to open aging research

Open access increases the opportunities to examine individual and societal aging processes. The data availability makes it easier to compare cohorts, particularly those in BASE-II, as well as regions and disciplines, and promotes cooperation between research institutions.

“We regard the publication of the data as a contribution to an open, sustainable research culture,” says Lindenberger. “BASE shows how carefully collected and documented longitudinal data can provide new insights into life in old age for decades.”

At a glance

Treasure trove of data on aging: The data of the Berlin Aging Study (BASE) are now publicly available for research via the Research Data Center of the Leibniz Institute for Psychology (ZPID). An internationally recognized gerontological data set has thus been secured for the long term and made internationally accessible. Unique data basis: BASE unites medical, psychiatric, psychological, and sociological perspectives and comprises up to 10,000 variables per person. The data offer detailed insights into health, life satisfaction, social networks, and the economic situation of older people aged 70 to over 100 years. New opportunities for research and teaching: The structured availability via the ZPID opens new analysis avenues for junior as well as senior scientists. Many scientific questions can still be answered with this comprehensive material. Further information:

Access via ZPID (German): https://rdc-psychology.org/de/daten-nutzen/berliner-altersstudie  Access via ZPID (English): https://rdc-psychology.org/en/reuse-data/base  END