• The Chairperson
  Demographic Research and
  Development Foundation, Inc.
  c/o UP Population Institute
  3/F Palma Hall,
  University of the Philippines
  Diliman, Quezon City 1101
  Philippines

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The Philippine Longitudinal Study of Aging (PLSOA), covering about 3,000 respondents ages 60 years and over, is the first nationally representative panel study on aging in the country. It is a collaborative effort between the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI) and the Nihon University Population Research Institute (NUPRI). The 2007 PLSOA is the first wave, with the second wave of data collection to be conducted in 2010.
 
The survey  was designed primarily to investigate the health status and well-being of the Filipino elderly and changes therein over time. It also looks at the possible correlates and determinants of health status and transitions in health status.  The PLSOA provides data comparable to the Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging (NUJLSOA) and Singaporean Longitudinal Study of Aging (SLSOA).
 
The survey used a multi-stage sampling design with provinces as the primary sampling units, barangays (villages) as the secondary sampling units, and older persons as the ultimate sampling units. In addition to Metro Manila, 6 sample provinces were selected using stratified sampling, namely: Sultan Kudarat, Laguna, Bulacan, Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Eastern Samar. 
 
The study gathered information on basic attributes and family make-up of older persons, physical and mental health, exchanges of support, economic status, household characteristics, and areas that have not been explored by previous studies, such as oral health, anthropometric measures (e.g. height, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar) and vignettes, among others.
 
Given the lack of longitudinal data or of nationally representative data on the elderly in general, data generated by the study will be of great value to policymakers, health professionals, organizations providing services for the elderly, and those working in the fields of gerontology and geriatrics.

PROJECT HEADS:
 
Dr. Grace Cruz
Dr. Josefina Natividad