The purpose of the NORA-project is to study health, functional capacity, living habits and living conditions of 75-year-old men and women in three Nordic localities (Glostrup in Denmark, Göteborg in Sweden and Jyväskylä in Finland). The Finnish data are a part of the Evergreens project. The data collection among the 75-year-olds was started in 1989 and completed in 1991 and the comparative analyses began in early 1992. A 5-year follow-up was performed in 1994 in Jyväskylä and Glostrup and 1995 in Göteborg. The methods of the study included home interviews, questionnaires, and laboratory examinations. A special issue for ”Facts and Research in Gerontology and Geriatrics” containing comparative analyses on all the major domains of the study has been published in 1997.

Original collaborating centres and researchers: Vasa Hospital (Göteborg), professor Bertil Steen and the research team; Institute of Gerontology (Jönköping), professor Stig Berg and the research team; University of Copenhagen, professor Marianne Schroll and the research team and University of Aarhus, professor Andrus Viidik.

Funding

The Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Röda Fjärden i Norden

Research group

Principal investigator

Professor Pertti Era, era[at]jyu.fi, Department of Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä