Cohort validation pack

NICOLA

Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing

Generated 6 Oct 2026, 10:36 · ID 69

AI inferred

Last verified: 16/04/2026

Instructions for reviewers

Review each field against your knowledge of this cohort. Mark Accurate if the value is right, Needs correction if it is wrong or inaccurate (add notes), Not sure if you cannot verify it, or Does not apply if the field is not relevant.
Evidence shown is from our source registry. Fields marked No source yet hold values we could not yet pin to a document — those were AI-inferred and need your input most. Fields marked Searched — not published are ones we looked for and could not find publicly; the note lists where we checked.
Your selections and notes are kept in this browser tab only (not sent to the database). Print or save as PDF when finished, then return it to the DIGIT team.

Overview

Total fields

Field-cited

Whole-record source only

AI-inferred, no source yet

Searched — not published

No value held

Needs review

Source coverage

Summary of how well fields in this pack are linked to evidence.

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Field-level source coverage Optional	51 of 70 reviewable fields are cited to a source (73%) · 6 with no source yet · 13 searched — not published · 17 with no value held	Computed	No citation linked to this field yet.	Response for Field-level source coverageAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Identity and ownership

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Short name Required	NICOLA	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Article title “Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA).” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for Short nameAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Full name Required	Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Article title “Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA).” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ full_name uses the spelled-out study title from the cohort profile heading.	Response for Full nameAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Managing organisation Recommended	Queen's University Belfast (Centre for Public Health)	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Author affiliations “Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ managing_organisation summarises the lead unit (Centre for Public Health) and host university as the operational home for NICOLA.	Response for Managing organisationAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Primary site Recommended	Queen's University Belfast (site #24)	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Why was the cohort set up? “NICOLA is based within the Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ primary_site_id=24 maps to the existing Queen's University Belfast sites row as the institutional anchor for NICOLA.	Response for Primary siteAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Website URL Recommended	https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/NICOLA/	Field-cited	Queen's University Belfast — NICOLA study website https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/NICOLA/ Section: HTML title “<title>NICOLA \| QUB</title>” Page: https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/NICOLA/	Response for Website URLAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Catalogue of Mental Health Measures URL Recommended	https://www.cataloguementalhealth.ac.uk/NICOLA	Field-cited	Catalogue of Mental Health Measures https://www.cataloguementalhealth.ac.uk Section: Official sitemap study URL “https://www.cataloguementalhealth.ac.uk/NICOLA” Page: https://www.cataloguementalhealth.ac.uk/NICOLA	Response for Catalogue of Mental Health Measures URLAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Contact name Recommended	Charlotte Neville	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Corresponding author “Charlotte Neville” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for Contact nameAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Contact email Recommended	c.neville@qub.ac.uk	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Corresponding author “c.neville@qub.ac.uk” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for Contact emailAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Summary and status

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Description Required	Northern Ireland's largest health and social care cohort of community-dwelling adults aged ≥50 in private households, designed for harmonisation with ELSA and TILDA. Wave 1 (Dec 2013–Mar 2016) recruited 8283 participants from a randomised stratified address sample; Wave 2 (May 2017–Nov 2019) achieved 73% response (n=6152). Core design: computer-assisted personal interview and self-completion questionnaires every 2 years; nurse health assessment approximately every 4 years (including blood/urine, ophthalmic retina imaging, and harmonised physical and cognitive measures). Distinctive content includes 'the Troubles'-related exposures and dietary assessment.	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “8283 participants aged ≥50 years and living in private residential accommodation were recruited, from a randomized, stratified sample of Northern Ireland addresses, to the Wave 1 cohort between December 2013 and March 2016. A follow-up (Wave 2) of the cohort took place between May 2017 and November 2019, with a response rate of 73% (n = 6152).” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Description synthesises Key Features bullets on sampling, waves, follow-up cadence, and distinctive NI content (Troubles, ophthalmology, diet) from the same boxed-text list.	Response for DescriptionAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Total N Required	8,283	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “8283 participants aged ≥50 years and living in private residential accommodation were recruited” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ total_n counts the age-eligible Wave 1 core cohort (8283); the profile also notes 8478 total participants including younger spouses/partners, but the headline eligible population is 8283.	Response for Total NAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Total N qualifier Recommended	No value held	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: total_n is an exact published Wave 1 eligible count (8283) rather than an approximate headline; no qualifier keyword is needed, so the field is NULL.	Response for Total N qualifierAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Year established Recommended	2013	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “to the Wave 1 cohort between December 2013 and March 2016” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ year_established=2013 taken from the start year of Wave 1 fieldwork window.	Response for Year establishedAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Active cohort Recommended	Yes	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: How often will they be followed up? “With continued follow-up, all NICOLA participants will be invited to take part in a CAPI every 2 years and a detailed health assessment every ∼4 years.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for Active cohortAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Ongoing recruitment Recommended	No	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Who is in the cohort? “Those living in residential care homes or other institutionalized settings, e.g. nursing homes, or who lacked the capacity to provide informed consent were not eligible to participate.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Primary Wave 1 address-based recruitment window is closed in the cohort profile; ongoing follow-up waves continue but are not treated as open population recruitment -> ongoing_recruitment=FALSE.	Response for Ongoing recruitmentAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Refreshed cohort Recommended	Yes	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: How often will they be followed up? “NICOLA aims to collect data from all participants within structured waves of ∼2-year intervals.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Repeated structured waves with re-assessment satisfy the refreshed cohort definition.	Response for Refreshed cohortAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Recontact success rate Recommended	No value held	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: Wave 2 response rate is captured as retention_rate; no separate recontact_success_rate metric is published under that definition.	Response for Recontact success rateAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Retention rate Recommended	73.00	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “A follow-up (Wave 2) of the cohort took place between May 2017 and November 2019, with a response rate of 73% (n = 6152).” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ retention_rate populated from the published Wave 2 response rate percentage as the closest public retention-style summary.	Response for Retention rateAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Published references Recommended	doi:10.1093/ije/dyad026	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Article citation “doi:10.1093/ije/dyad026” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for Published referencesAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Notes Recommended	Administrative record linkage is planned/underway via ADRC-NI partners (BSO Honest Broker Service; examples include hospital admissions, GP and dental records, screening and disease registers). NICOLA is flagged on the National Health Applications Infrastructure Service to support outcome linkage. Core variables are archived with the UK Data Service and UK LLC; DPUK archiving is described as a longer-term intention in the cohort profile.	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Why was the cohort set up? “Data linkage will include, in the first instance, linking the NICOLA data to routinely collected health and social care data from the Business Service Organisation (BSO) Honest Broker Service (HBS)” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Notes summarise administrative linkage plans and UKDS/DPUK archiving statements from the cohort profile body text. ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — NICOLA search https://clinicaltrials.gov/api/v2/studies?query.term=NICOLA%20Northern%20Ireland&pageSize=5&format=json Section: ClinicalTrials.gov API JSON “The NICOLA Questionnaire Trial (NICOLA-QT)” Page: https://clinicaltrials.gov/api/v2/studies?query.term=NICOLA%20Northern%20Ireland&pageSize=5&format=json Registry search executed; NICOLA-QT (NCT01978522) is a nested questionnaire methodology trial related to the cohort. ISRCTN XML API — NICOLA search https://www.isrctn.com/api/query/format/default?q=NICOLA%20Northern%20Ireland%20ageing&limit=20 Section: ISRCTN XML API “<allTrials totalCount="0"” Page: https://www.isrctn.com/api/query/format/default?q=NICOLA%20Northern%20Ireland%20ageing&limit=20 ISRCTN API search returned zero trials for the query string used.	Response for NotesAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

3D cohort mapping

Consent, characterisation, and data availability axes used on the cohort map.

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Consent level (axis) Required	3 — Broad consent (recontactable for future studies)	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Who is in the cohort? “As part of the written consent process, participants were asked whether they agreed to future contact by the NICOLA study team.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Step1 identifiable longitudinal participants YES. Step2 S251/CAG-only access without individual consent NO. Step3 recontactable YES (written consent for future contact). Step4 blanket interventional/TWiCs-specific consent not evidenced -> consent_level=3 per data-dictionary.md.	Response for Consent level (axis)AccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Characterisation depth (axis) Required	3 — Multi-domain MH characterisation	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? / Table 1 “Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS)” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Step1 routine EHR-only model NO. Step2 validated MH instruments YES (HADS, CES-D in table). Step3 multi-domain characterisation YES (cognitive, physical, ophthalmic, biosamples in health assessment). Step4 research-grade diagnostic interview plus active whole-cohort refresh to level-4 definition not evidenced -> characterisation_depth=3.	Response for Characterisation depth (axis)AccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Data availability (axis) Required	4 — Multi-modal	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? / Table 1 “Ophthalmic retina imaging” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ DERIVED per data-dictionary.md: hasResearch=TRUE (questionnaires, cognitive tests, physical measures, planned administrative linkage); hasBiological=TRUE (blood/urine; methylation EPIC); hasAdvanced=TRUE (retinal imaging) -> data_availability=4.	Response for Data availability (axis)AccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Cohort map group (derived) Recommended	Group 1	Internal	Internal catalogue field	—	—
Population type Recommended	General population	Not published	DIGIT Cohort Portfolio Review — population type and engagement classification (Aug 2026) Classified general_population in the DIGIT cohort portfolio review (Aug 2026). Population cohort of community-dwelling adults aged 50+ in Northern Ireland.	Response for Population typeAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Industry engagement status Recommended	Unknown	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: industry engagement status is an organisational property of the custodian and is not publicly documented; default 'unknown' pending a cohort-owner meeting.	Response for Industry engagement statusAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Parent cohort / programme Recommended	No value held	No source yet	No citation linked to this field yet.	Response for Parent cohort / programmeAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
TWiCs eligible Recommended	No	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “Access to the anonymized data is by direct application to the NICOLA study” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ No evidence in the cohort profile that participants have blanket consent for embedded randomised intervention offers within the cohort infrastructure; consent is framed as research participation and recontact -> twics_eligible=FALSE with consent_level=3.	Response for TWiCs eligibleAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Data modalities

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Questionnaire / interview Recommended	Yes	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “The collection of data via subjective reporting in interviews and self-completion methodologies combined with objective measurement of health and wellbeing allows detailed analysis of the ageing profiles.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for Questionnaire / interviewAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Cognitive testing Recommended	Yes	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? / Table 1 “Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA)” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for Cognitive testingAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Physical measures Recommended	Yes	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? / Table 1 “Blood pressure” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Nurse health assessment includes structured physical measures (blood pressure and related modules in Table 1).	Response for Physical measuresAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Biosamples Recommended	Yes	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Wave 1 also includes a wide-ranging health assessment module “Biological samples including a non-fasting blood and urine sample were collected from participants as part of the health assessment.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for BiosamplesAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Genomic data Recommended	No	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? “Methylation status was measured using the Infinium Methylation EPIC Bead Chip Array (Illumina USA).” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Array is an epigenome-wide methylation platform; no separate germline SNP genotyping array is described as the primary genomic resource in this profile -> has_genomic_data=FALSE per conservative DIGIT flag semantics.	Response for Genomic dataAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Omics Recommended	Yes	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? “Methylation status was measured using the Infinium Methylation EPIC Bead Chip Array (Illumina USA).” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for OmicsAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Imaging Recommended	Yes	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? / Table 1 “Ophthalmic retina imaging” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Retinal imaging is counted as research imaging modality per data-dictionary imaging flag guidance.	Response for ImagingAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Wearable / sensor Recommended	No	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “NICOLA participants will undertake a detailed survey, in their own home, every 2 years with a detailed health assessment every 4 years.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Reviewed Key Features, measurement tables and later-wave plans; no accelerometry/wearable sensor data stream is described -> has_wearable_data=FALSE.	Response for Wearable / sensorAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Digital phenotyping Recommended	No	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: How often will they be followed up? “The proposed design of Wave 3 (pending funding) will include a home-based health assessment, CAPI and self-completion questionnaire (SCQ) with a focus on the following research topics: immune response, the microbiome, digital inclusion, food insecurity, cognitive health and eye health.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ digital inclusion is listed as a future research topic, not passive smartphone/sensor phenotyping; no digital phenotyping stream is evidenced for collected data -> FALSE.	Response for Digital phenotypingAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Linked health records Recommended	Yes	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “The NICOLA cohort is flagged on the National Health Applications Infrastructure Service to enable robust and comprehensive linkage for identification of participant outcomes and affecting factors.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for Linked health recordsAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Biosample types Recommended	blood, urine	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Wave 1 also includes a wide-ranging health assessment module “Biological samples including a non-fasting blood and urine sample were collected from participants as part of the health assessment.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for Biosample typesAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Genotyping platform Recommended	No value held	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: The profile emphasises EPIC DNA methylation arrays; no separate SNP genotyping platform string is stated as the primary genome-wide genotyping product.	Response for Genotyping platformAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Imaging modalities Recommended	retinal_imaging	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? / Table 1 “Ophthalmic retina imaging” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Stored as retinal_imaging to align with other cohort seeds using retinal_imaging in imaging_modalities arrays.	Response for Imaging modalitiesAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Mental health measures Recommended	HADS, CES-D	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? / Table 1 “Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS)” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ mental_health_measures array also includes CES-D because the same measurement table includes the row label Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D).	Response for Mental health measuresAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Data subcategories

Structured modality and subcategory rows used alongside the high-level data-type flags.

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Data subcategories Recommended List key data subcategories using distinct rows for category markers, named questionnaire/interview instruments, biospecimen types, omics/genomics data products, imaging modalities, sensor streams, and linked-record types.	No value held	No source yet	No citation linked to this field yet.	Response for Data subcategoriesAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Field

Current value

Evidence

Source evidence

Response

Notes / correction

Data subcategories

Recommended

List key data subcategories using distinct rows for category markers, named questionnaire/interview instruments, biospecimen types, omics/genomics data products, imaging modalities, sensor streams, and linked-record types.

No value held

No source yet

No citation linked to this field yet.

AccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply

Consent and use permissions

Specific use permissions separate from the 3D consent-level axis.

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Consent and use permissions Recommended Confirm health/biomedical research use, industry/commercial consideration, non-commercial restrictions, governance modifiers, recontact, trial approach, biosample use, linkage, sharing, international transfer, and any Section 251/CAG support.	No value held	No source yet	No citation linked to this field yet.	Response for Consent and use permissionsAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Field

Current value

Evidence

Source evidence

Response

Notes / correction

Consent and use permissions

Recommended

Confirm health/biomedical research use, industry/commercial consideration, non-commercial restrictions, governance modifiers, recontact, trial approach, biosample use, linkage, sharing, international transfer, and any Section 251/CAG support.

No value held

No source yet

No citation linked to this field yet.

AccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply

Access pathways

One or more routes by which researchers can request or analyse data.

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Access pathways Recommended Confirm all data access pathways, including route, access level, TRE/SDE or download/API environment, DAC review, collaboration requirements, data sharing agreements, output checking, timelines, and fees.	No value held	No source yet	No citation linked to this field yet.	Response for Access pathwaysAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Field

Current value

Evidence

Source evidence

Response

Notes / correction

Access pathways

Recommended

Confirm all data access pathways, including route, access level, TRE/SDE or download/API environment, DAC review, collaboration requirements, data sharing agreements, output checking, timelines, and fees.

No value held

No source yet

No citation linked to this field yet.

AccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply

Within-cohort coverage

Aggregate counts or percentages showing how broadly data, consent, or access characteristics apply within the cohort.

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Within-cohort coverage metrics Recommended Provide numerator, denominator, unit type, numerator/denominator exactness qualifiers, denominator type, basis, date/release, original source wording, and whether each metric is marginal, joint, conditional, or a release total.	No value held	No source yet	No citation linked to this field yet.	Response for Within-cohort coverage metricsAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Field

Current value

Evidence

Source evidence

Response

Notes / correction

Within-cohort coverage metrics

Recommended

Provide numerator, denominator, unit type, numerator/denominator exactness qualifiers, denominator type, basis, date/release, original source wording, and whether each metric is marginal, joint, conditional, or a release total.

No value held

No source yet

No citation linked to this field yet.

AccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply

Linkage and access

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
NHS linkage Recommended	Yes	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Why was the cohort set up? “Examples of such data include hospital admissions, general practitioner and dental records, health screening registers and disease registers.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Hospital admissions linkage is interpreted as meeting the DIGIT NHS/secondary-care administrative linkage intent for Northern Ireland (HSCNI), analogous to English HES in feasibility terms.	Response for NHS linkageAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
GP linkage Recommended	Yes	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Why was the cohort set up? “Examples of such data include hospital admissions, general practitioner and dental records, health screening registers and disease registers.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for GP linkageAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Death registry linkage Recommended	No	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Why was the cohort set up? “Examples of such data include hospital admissions, general practitioner and dental records, health screening registers and disease registers.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Listed example administrative domains do not explicitly name a civil death registry feed; death-specific linkage is not asserted -> FALSE.	Response for Death registry linkageAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Education linkage Recommended	No	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? / Table 1 “Education” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Education appears as self-reported questionnaire content rather than administrative education-record linkage -> has_education_linkage=FALSE.	Response for Education linkageAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Data access mechanism Recommended	direct_application	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “Access to the anonymized data is by direct application to the NICOLA study” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Maps to direct_application per data-dictionary.md (researcher application to custodian / safe setting process).	Response for Data access mechanismAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
TRE platform Recommended	NICOLA safe research setting (Queen's University Belfast Centre for Public Health); UK Data Service (archived core variables)	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Findings to date and future plans “At present, data access is via the NICOLA safe setting within the Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast. Core variables are also archived on an ongoing basis with the UK Data Service” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ tre_platform summarises the named safe setting plus UKDS archiving described in the profile.	Response for TRE platformAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Data dictionary URL Recommended	https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/NICOLA/	Field-cited	Queen's University Belfast — NICOLA study website https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/NICOLA/ Section: Navigation “Data Dictionaries + Resources” Page: https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/NICOLA/ data_dictionary_url points to the NICOLA site home where Data Dictionaries + Resources is linked; deeper dictionary pages are behind site navigation.	Response for Data dictionary URLAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Data access timeline (days) Recommended	No value held	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: Safe-setting and UKDS access processes are described but no fixed median timeline-in-days is published as a single number.	Response for Data access timeline (days)AccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Data access cost Recommended	No value held	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: No standardised public fee schedule suitable for this VARCHAR summary field was captured in downloaded sources.	Response for Data access costAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Participant profile and dates

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Age distribution Recommended	No value held	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: No single JSON age-bin structure is published as an explicit distribution object in the reviewed sources; table percentages are wave- and mode-specific.	Response for Age distributionAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Sex distribution Recommended	No value held	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: percent_female is populated separately; a full sex_distribution JSON object is not directly published as JSON in reviewed sources.	Response for Sex distributionAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Ethnicity distribution Recommended	No value held	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: Ethnic group is collected (table domain list) but no cohort-wide ethnicity percentage breakdown was extracted into this seed pass.	Response for Ethnicity distributionAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Smoking status distribution Recommended	No value held	No source yet	No citation linked to this field yet.	Response for Smoking status distributionAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Median age Recommended	No value held	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: Age is described using banded table percentages rather than a single cohort median age suitable for this scalar field.	Response for Median ageAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Percent female Recommended	55.10	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Wave 2 demographics table “55.1” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ 55.1 is the published percentage for women in the Wave 2 demographics table (N=6152 header context in the same table block).	Response for Percent femaleAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Percent non-white Recommended	No value held	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: No single percent_non_white headline was extracted from the reviewed HTML/XML text in this pass.	Response for Percent non-whiteAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Geographic coverage Recommended	national	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Who is in the cohort? “community dwelling adults aged ≥50 years living in private households in NI” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ NI-wide community sample maps to geographic_coverage=national (entire constituent nation) per data-dictionary.md.	Response for Geographic coverageAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Follow-up duration Recommended	>10 years (2013–present)	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: How often will they be followed up? “It is the intention that participants will be followed up for a period of ≥10 years.” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ followup_duration string combines the ≥10 year intention with the observed active period since 2013.	Response for Follow-up durationAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Last data collection date Recommended	No value held	Not published	Searched — not published UNSOURCEABLE: Wave 2 fieldwork spans May 2017–November 2019 but the cohort profile does not publish a single canonical last_data_collection_date suitable for a DATE field without wave disaggregation.	Response for Last data collection dateAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Recruitment start date Recommended	1 Dec 2013	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “to the Wave 1 cohort between December 2013 and March 2016” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ recruitment_start_date set to first month of the published Wave 1 window.	Response for Recruitment start dateAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Recruitment end date Recommended	31 Mar 2016	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “to the Wave 1 cohort between December 2013 and March 2016” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ recruitment_end_date approximates end of the Wave 1 recruitment window (March 2016) for the core address-based sample.	Response for Recruitment end dateAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Diagnosis areas

Mental health diagnosis areas represented in this cohort.

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Diagnosis area: Major depressive disorder Recommended Confirm this diagnosis area applies and estimated N if shown.	Major depressive disorder · Mood Disorders	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 UNSOURCEABLE: No published count of participants meeting MDD case definitions in NICOLA was located in this pass. Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? / Table 1 “Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D)” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for Diagnosis area: Major depressive disorderAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Diagnosis area: Generalised anxiety disorder Recommended Confirm this diagnosis area applies and estimated N if shown.	Generalised anxiety disorder · Anxiety Disorders	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 UNSOURCEABLE: No published count of participants meeting GAD case definitions in NICOLA was located in this pass. Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? / Table 1 “Hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS)” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/	Response for Diagnosis area: Generalised anxiety disorderAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Diagnosis area: PTSD Recommended Confirm this diagnosis area applies and estimated N if shown.	PTSD · Trauma-Related	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 UNSOURCEABLE: No published count of participants with PTSD diagnoses was located; exposure measures are not equivalent to diagnosed caseness counts. Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Key Features “uniquely to NICOLA, the effects of ‘the Troubles’” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ Mapped to PTSD diagnosis area as conflict-related trauma exposure research.	Response for Diagnosis area: PTSDAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes
Diagnosis area: Dementia / neurodegeneration Recommended Confirm this diagnosis area applies and estimated N if shown.	Dementia / neurodegeneration · Neurodegenerative	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 UNSOURCEABLE: No published dementia-case participant count was extracted in this pass. Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: What has been measured? / Table 1 “Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA)” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ MoCA supports dementia/cognitive decline analyses within an ageing cohort.	Response for Diagnosis area: Dementia / neurodegenerationAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Linked sites

Sites contributing participants or data to this cohort.

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Linked site: Queen's University Belfast Recommended	Queen's University Belfast · Northern Ireland	Field-cited	Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 UNSOURCEABLE: No published per-site participant count is needed for this single-site host link; local_n remains NULL. Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad026 Section: Why was the cohort set up? “NICOLA is based within the Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast” Page: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10396407/ cohort_sites links NICOLA to site_id=24 (Queen's University Belfast) as the institutional host.	Response for Linked site: Queen's University BelfastAccurateNeeds correctionNot sureDoes not apply No response selected	No notes

Verification metadata

Internal catalogue status — for reference only.

Field	Current value	Evidence	Source evidence	Response	Notes / correction
Verification status Recommended	ai_inferred	Internal	Internal catalogue field	—	—
Last verified Recommended	16 Apr 2026	Internal	Internal catalogue field	—	—
Data source Recommended	Populated Apr 2026 from Neville et al. 2023 cohort profile (Int J Epidemiol dyad026; Europe PMC full-text XML PMC10396407), QUB NICOLA website HTML, ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 (NICOLA-QT NCT01978522), ISRCTN XML API (no hits), and docs/data-dictionary.md (axes, flags, tiers).	Internal	Internal catalogue field	—	—