SHARE – an opportunity to obtain comparable data on European population health, living conditions, and ageing

Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) participates in the project “RSU Participation in the Horizon Europe Programme” (project No. 1.1.1.5/3/25/I/014), one of the goals of which is to inform and educate researchers about the opportunities to use SHARE (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe) data for research purposes.

The SHARE survey is currently being conducted in 28 countries, thus providing extensive and comparable information on the health, living conditions, and ageing processes of the European population.

Before each wave of data collection, the survey questionnaire is updated and supplemented as needed. The core questionnaire is designed with an identical structure, questions, and answer categories. The unified questionnaire is translated into the official languages of the participating countries (in some countries, including Latvia, the questionnaire is translated into more than one language), ensuring that respondents fully understand the survey questions and can provide appropriate answers. Some questions are adapted to country-specific measures and later harmonized with common categories (for example, questions on educational attainment).

SHARE data collection is conducted through computer-assisted personal interviews (CAPI). Trained interviewers use a laptop with the survey instrument installed – an online tool for recording responses. Because some questions offer very detailed response categories, showcards are used during the interviews, providing respondents with a clearer and easier-to-understand set of answer options.

The face-to-face interview format allows not only the collection of self-reported data but also the administration of physical and cognitive tests. To assess respondents’ cognitive abilities, the questionnaire includes questions on orientation in time (respondents are asked to state the day, month, and year of the interview), memory tests (how many of the words read aloud by the interviewer the respondent can recall and repeat), arithmetic and calculation tasks, as well as reading and writing assessments. Physical abilities are measured through grip strength tests for the right and left hands. By combining subjective assessments with objective measures, it is possible to understand ageing processes and related health changes.

SHARE is an international research infrastructure – a Europe-wide study whose primary target group consists of residents aged 50 and older, as well as their partners, regardless of age. Such data provides an in-depth insight into the processes of population ageing and the factors influencing them, covering the fields of health, economics, demographic, and social support. More information about SHARE data collection in Latvia is available here.