Cohort profile: The Swedish Evaluation Through Follow-up Study of Learning Later in Life (UGU-LIFE)

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Abstract
Purpose: The Swedish Evaluation Through Follow-up study of Learning Later in Life (UGU-LIFE) was established to study the factors that shape lifelong learning and advance evidence-based means to facilitate learning in older age. Participants: UGU-LIFE builds on the Evaluation Through Follow-up ( Utvärdering Genom Uppföljning , UGU, in Swedish) study, which consists of nationally representative samples of Swedish birth cohorts. The two oldest cohorts, born 1948 ( N = 11,945) and 1953 ( N = 9,927), were assessed at age 13 years and invited for follow-up assessments as part of UGU-LIFE in 2025 (age 72/77 years; N = 5,738). Findings to date: Data collection in childhood included a survey (on school and family conditions), cognitive tests, and school administrative data. The follow-up assessment in late adulthood included a survey (on personal and contextual factors), cognitive tests, learning tasks, and saliva sampling for DNA extraction. In addition, registry data was collected from Statistics Sweden (census), the National Board of Health and Welfare (medical records), and the Swedish National Archives (military conscription). Analysis of selectivity at follow-up showed higher retention rate among individuals with higher education and better cognitive ability in childhood, which was only partially explained by selectivity in survival. Future plans: Data collected in UGU-LIFE will be used to describe the predictors of lifelong learning, the factors that influence learning gains and engagement in learning in older age, and the mechanistic pathways through which these factors affect learning in older age. Work to add birth records and geocoding to the data is ongoing. A subsample of participants will be invited to take part in an in-depth data collection of learning an ecologically relevant task over several days. The findings will be used to design and test interventions aiming to facilitate learning in older age. Strengths and limitations of this study: UGU-LIFE includes population representative samples of individuals born in 1948 and 1953 ( N = 21,872). Participants were followed over six decades to assess how factors in childhood predict learning in older age. Cognitive testing in both childhood and late adulthood offers unique insights into lifespan changes in cognitive functioning. DNA sampling allows for analysis of gene-environment interactions across the lifespan. Comprehensive registry data on health and socioeconomic conditions enable characterization of selective attrition, revealing both mortality-associated and experimental sources of selectivity at follow-up.
Funding Information
  • Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (M23-0040)

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