Wave 6 Replenishment
WHAT IS TILDA? TILDA is the most comprehensive study of adults, ever undertaken in Ireland. Since the study began in 2009, over 8,500 participants have voluntarily taken part all over the country.
The information collected by TILDA, has been used for many research projects on ageing and has helped to identify priorities and policies on ageing on a national and international scale, related to health and well-being, healthcare needs, caregiving and retirement.
TILDA is a longitudinal study, meaning we stay in contact with our participants over many years, revisiting them and collecting the same information every two years to investigate any changes over time.
WHY IS TILDA SEEKING NEW PARTICPANTS?
We are currently approaching adults aged 45-64 years from all areas in the Republic of Ireland to join TILDA. This is the first time since the study began 13 years ago that we have aimed to bring in new participants.
As TILDA has been ongoing since 2009, our original group of participants has aged with the study, making it necessary to recruit a new group aged 45-64 years. This is what is referred to as “Replenishment” of the study and is common practice internationally in longitudinal studies of ageing.
The experience of today’s 50-year-old living in 2022 will be very different from those of 2012, and we want to be able to capture and assess these differences across a range of lifestyle factors.
WHO CAN JOIN TILDA? Your household has to be randomly selected to join the study. If you are aged between 45 and 64, and have either received a letter from TILDA, or have been visited by our fieldwork interviewers from Behaviours and Attitudes (B&A) – this means you have been randomly selected and we would like to invite you to take part in TILDA (2022-2023).
Please consider joining, your contribution as a future participant is invaluable and essential for the continued success of the study. Our selection process is necessary to maintain the representativeness of our study population. This is the reason TILDA cannot simply accept volunteers as participants.
HOW CAN I TAKE PART? We are working with trained interviewers and will be knocking on doors all over the country from mid-June 2022. You may also receive a letter and information leaflet inviting your participation.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I DECIDE TO TAKE PART? Taking part in this study involves a one-to-one interview, which includes some basic health assessments, in your home, and a self-complete questionnaire that participants post back to TILDA. Subsequently, we invite participants to come for a more detailed health assessment in our centre based in Trinity College Dublin or in your home at a later date. If you participate in the detailed health assessment, you will be given some results from this assessment. For example, your blood pressure or cholesterol levels.
WHY SHOULD I GET INVOLVED IF I AM CONTACTED?
By participating in TILDA, you are helping to advance health, economic and social policy for future generations in Ireland. TILDA research is oriented toward informing policy and improving the lives of older adults in Ireland. Findings from the study regularly inform policy documents from government departments and state agencies nationally and internationally.
Our research outputs have similarly been used in a range of analytic, strategic, advisory and advocacy documents by agencies and organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors.
Our results inform clinical programmes across the Irish health system and government health and social initiatives. More recently, information from TILDA has been used to help with planning for and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A list of some of the organisations that have cited TILDA's research findings can be found here.
DO I HAVE TO TAKE PART? No. If you are approached to take part, there is no obligation to do so. The success of TILDA depends on the goodwill of our participants.
WHERE CAN I READ MORE ABOUT THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY? The results of the study are available on the Publications section of our website. TILDA shares the results at public talks, government briefings, at national and international scientific conferences and in publications, including in our reports and scientific journals. The results are also reported in the Irish and international media. TILDA participants’ identity will never be disclosed in any publication or presentation.
WHO SHOULD I CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION?
Scheduling an Interview
If you have been contacted and are interested in participating and would like to schedule an interview, or if you have scheduled an interview but need to reschedule, please contact our team by phone or email (details below). Your interviewer may have also given you their contact details, which you can call to schedule the interview as needed.TILDA
If you would like to know more about TILDA, and what participation would mean for you, please contact the TILDA office either by phone or email:
Phone: (01) 896 2509
Email: tilda@tcd.ie