Overview
ELSI-Brazil (The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging) aims to investigate the social and biological determinants of the aging process and its consequences to individuals and society. It is a nationally representative longitudinal study of community-dwelling adults aged 50 years or older, residing in 70 municipalities located across the five great geographic regions of Brazil..
ELSI-Brazil is coordinated by the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation - Minas Gerais (FIOCRUZ-MG). The study is funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. The baseline data collection was carried out in 2015-16 with 9,412 participants. The second wave was conducted in 2019-21 with 9,949 participants, including the sample replacement. The third wave is planned to start in 2023.
ELSI-Brazil follows a similar methodology adopted by other aging cohorts worldwide allowing international comparisons. The study has been producing strategic data with the potential to subsidy public policies toward the promotion of healthy aging and improvements in the quality of health services for older adults.
Description of the study design and some descriptive results of the baseline and the second waves of ELSI-Brazil can be found in two key publications: American Journal of Epidemiology 1 and International Journal of Epidemiology 2 in 2018 and 2023, respectively.