"Old age is not a disease: it is strength and survivorship, triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes   and  disappoint-
ments, trials and illnesses."

Maggie Kuhn

INTRODUCTION

The research project “Ageing Well: A European Study of Adult Well-Being” (ESAW) aims at building a European socio-cultural model able to identify which main factors, along with personal characteristics and culture, exert a direct causal contribution to the outcome variable ageing well. The components included in the study are the following five: physical health and functional status; self resources; life activity; material security; and social support. The project has been carried out in 2002-2003 in six European countries. It is based on individual interviews administered by means of a structured questionnaire to national samples of 1,800-2,500 non institutionalised subjects (e.g. not hospitalised nor in long term care facilities), aged 50-90, in each of the involved countries.

Six West European countries participated in the European study: Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The six countries range from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. The ESAW research was initiated and co-ordinated by the United Kingdom. The work was conducted in each participating country by a Principal Investigator and a team of researchers.