To improve health care for older persons, we need to learn more about ageing, e.g. identify protective factors and early markers for diseases. The Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Studies (the H70 studies) are multidisciplinary epidemiological studies examining representative birth cohorts of older populations in Gothenburg, Sweden. So far, six birth cohorts of 70-year-olds have been examined over time, and examinations have been virtually identical between studies. This paper describes the study procedures for the baseline examination of the Birth cohort 1944, conducted in 2014–16. In this study, all men and women born 1944 on specific dates, and registered as residents in Gothenburg, were eligible for participation (n = 1839). A total of 1203 (response rate 72.2%; 559 men and 644 women; mean age 70.5 years) agreed to participate in the study. The study comprised sampling of blood and cerebrospinal fluid, psychiatric, cognitive, and physical health examinations, examinations of genetics and family history, use of medications, social factors, functional ability and disability, physical fitness and activity, body composition, lung function, audiological and ophthalmological examinations, diet, brain imaging, as well as a close informant interview, and qualitative studies. As in previous examinations, data collection serves as a basis for future longitudinal follow-up examinations. The research gained from the H70 studies has clinical relevance in relation to prevention, early diagnosis, clinical course, experience of illness, understanding pathogenesis and prognosis. Results will increase our understanding of ageing and inform service development, which may lead to enhanced quality of care for older persons. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s10654-018-0459-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objectives To examine the outcomes of the Elderly Persons in the Risk Zone study, which was designed to evaluate whether it is possible to delay deterioration if a health‐promoting intervention is made when an older adult (≥80) is at risk of becoming frail and whether a multiprofessional group intervention is more effective in delaying deterioration than a single preventive home visit with regard to frailty, self‐rated health, and activities of daily living (ADLs) at 3‐month follow‐up. Design Randomized, three‐armed, single‐blind, controlled trial performed between November 2007 and May 2011. Setting Two urban districts of Gothenburg, Sweden. Participants Four hundred fifty‐nine community‐living adults aged 80 and older not dependent on the municipal home help service. Intervention A preventive home visit or four weekly multiprofessional senior group meetings with one follow‐up home visit. Measurements Change in frailty, self‐rated health, and ADLs between baseline and 3‐month follow‐up. Results Both interventions delayed deterioration of self‐rated health (odds ratio (OR) = 1.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.12–3.54). Senior meetings were the most beneficial intervention for postponing dependence in ADLs (OR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.14–3.33). No effect on frailty could be demonstrated. Conclusion Health‐promoting interventions made when older adults are at risk of becoming frail can delay deterioration in self‐rated health and ADLs in the short term. A multiprofessional group intervention such as the senior meetings described seems to have a greater effect on delaying deterioration in ADLs than a single preventive home visit. Further research is needed to examine the outcome in the long term and in different contexts.

Objective: To describe longitudinal changes in height and body weight between the ages of 70 and 95 y. Design: Longitudinal cohort study with representative sample of 70-y-olds. Setting: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Go Èteborg University, Sweden. Subjects: 449 males and 524 females, aged 70 y, living in Go Èteborg were examined in 1971 ± 72 and this study population participated on 11 occasions during a 25-year follow-up. Results: Mean height decreased 4 and 4.9 cm in males and females respectively and the trend was signi®cant between the ages of 70 and 95 y in both sexes. Between 70 and 75 y of age, a signi®cant difference was found between quintiles of body height where in the highest quintile height was lowered by 0.4 and 0.3 cmay, in males and females respectively, and in the lowest quintile by 0.1 cmay in both sexes. Mean body weight decreased 3.2 and 5.1 kg in males and females respectively, from age 70 to 95 y. The trend was signi®cant over 22 and 20 y for males and females, respectively. Between the ages of 70 and 80 y, individuals in highest quintile of body weight decreased at a rate of 0.8 and 0.6 kgay, three times higher than those in lowest quintile. Due to the decrease in both height and weight over time, body mass index (BMI) was less affected. Conclusion: Height, body weight and BMI decreased signi®cantly in both sexes after age 70 y, and there was a gender difference in the trend. The results can be used as reference data for Swedish elderly and might be of importance to the understanding of anthropometry with the ageing process.

This study illustrates that skin wrinkling in a sun-exposed site in older people of various ethnic backgrounds may be influenced by the types of foods consumed.