P-90 Den norske studien av livsløp, aldring og generasjon (NorLAG).

NorLAG data generate a wide variety of scientific publications that feed into policy goals, e.g., enhanced active and healthy ageing, and reducing social inequalities across the life course.

Background: The Norwegian Life-course, Ageing and Generation Study (NorLAG) is a multidisciplinary panel study of men and women aged 40 years and above. The main objectives of NorLAG are: (a) to explore conditions for active ageing and quality of life in old age; (b) to examine how different social contexts respond to longer lives and ageing populations; and (c) to provide the knowledge needed for developing sustainable welfare policies in an ageing society. NorLAG data are part of ACCESS Life Course, a research infrastructure project funded by the National Financing Initiative for Research Infrastructure at the Research Council of Norway.

Methods: NorLAG is a population-based study consisting of survey data (computer-assisted telephone inter- views and self-administered questionnaires) from three waves (2002, 2007, 2017) combined with annual registry data (2002–2022). The sample comprises more than 11,000 respondents born between 1922 and 1966, of which 77% have participated in at least two waves. All in all, 2330 persons have responded to all three waves. Response rates are 67% (NorLAG1), 61% (NorLAG2) and 68% (NorLAG3). The NorLAG study builds on a life course perspective and on the notion that ageing and old age are embedded in life pathways that are interdependent and shaped by the historical context. The multidimensional longitudinal design gives the opportunity to explore ageing as a process within four main domains: (a) work and retirement; (b) family and intergenerational relationships; (c) quality of life and mastery; and (d) health and care.

Results: Analyses based on NorLAG data have generated a wide variety of scientific publications. Examples of public health-related research findings include: (a) high levels of negative affect are associated with a considerably greater risk of heavy drinking 5 years later; (b) retirement is positively associated with physical health, especially among individuals with low socioeconomic status; (c) caring for older parents is negatively related to adult children’s earnings both during years with substantial caregiving and in the period following the parents’ death; and (d) age trends in loneliness vary by gender, with loneliness increasing steadily from ages 40 to 80 years among women, while the trend for men follows a U-shaped curve with the highest loneliness levels at ages 40 and 80 years and lower levels in between.

Conclusions: NorLAG data are being used in research, as well as in teaching and master/PhD theses, across a range of disciplines, including sociology, psychology, political sciences and health sciences. The data are freely available at https://norlag.nsd.no/.