Cohort profile: Oxford Pain, Activity and Lifestyle (OPAL) Study, a prospective cohort study of older adults in England
Christian D Mallen,
M Watson,
S Dutton,
S Petrou,
Lesley Ward,
Maria T Sanchez Santos,
Angela Garrett,
Alana Morris,
O Conway,
F Darton,
D Hagan,
D Haywood,
A Hewitt,
I Marian,
L Nevay,
P Nicolson,
M Slark,
K Vadher,
E Williamson,
N Arden,
K Barker,
G Collins,
J Fairbank,
J Fitch,
D French,
F Griffiths,
Z Hanson,
C Hutchinson
Affiliations
Christian D Mallen
School of Primary, Community and Social Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
M Watson
1Paediatrics, Imperial College NHS Trust, London, UK
S Dutton
University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
S Petrou
7Department of Economics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
Lesley Ward
Centre for Rehabilitation Research in Oxford, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Maria T Sanchez Santos
Centre for Rehabilitation Research in Oxford, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Angela Garrett
Centre for Rehabilitation Research in Oxford, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Alana Morris
Centre for Rehabilitation Research in Oxford, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
O Conway
F Darton
D Hagan
D Haywood
A Hewitt
Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, UK
I Marian
L Nevay
P Nicolson
Gastroenterology, Dudley Group Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Dudley, UK
M Slark
K Vadher
E Williamson
1Population, Policy and Practice, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
N Arden
K Barker
Section of Cancer Genetics, Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, Surrey, UK
G Collins
1Gastroenterology and Liver Services, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Sydney, Australia
J Fairbank
J Fitch
1Denver Prevention Training Center, Denver Public Health, Denver Health
Purpose The ‘Oxford Pain, Activity and Lifestyle’ (OPAL) Cohort is a longitudinal, prospective cohort study of adults, aged 65 years and older, living in the community which is investigating the determinants of health in later life. Our focus was on musculoskeletal pain and mobility, but the cohort is designed with flexibility to include new elements over time. This paper describes the study design, data collection and baseline characteristics of participants. We also compared the OPAL baseline characteristics with nationally representative data sources.Participants We randomly selected eligible participants from two stratified age bands (65–74 and 75 and over years). In total, 5409 individuals (42.1% of eligible participants) from 35 general practices in England agreed to participate between 2016 and 2018. The majority of participants (n=5367) also consented for research team to access their UK National Health Service (NHS) Digital and primary healthcare records.Findings to date Mean participant age was 74.9 years (range 65–100); 51.5% (n=2784/5409) were women. 94.9% of participants were white, and 28.8% lived alone. Over 83.0% reported pain in at least one body area in the previous 6 weeks. Musculoskeletal symptoms were more prevalent in women (86.4%). One-third of participants reported having one or more falls in the last year. Most participants were confident in their ability to walk outside. The characteristics of OPAL Cohort participants were broadly similar to the general population of the same age.Future plans Postal follow-up of the cohort is being undertaken at annual intervals, with data collection ongoing. Linkage to NHS hospital admission data is planned. This English prospective cohort offers a large and rich resource for research on the longitudinal associations between demographic, clinical, and social factors and health trajectories and outcomes in community-dwelling older people.
