SAGE
WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE)
Core SAGE Data and Questionnaires
SAGE Data Users Agreement
Access to WHS/SAGE Wave 0, SAGE Pilot and SAGE Wave 1 data requires completion of a Users Agreement. Download and complete the Users Agreement by clicking on the .pdf link above. Details about emailing the completed and signed document, requesting SAGE data, are listed below. Specify which data set you are requesting (WHS/SAGE Wave 0, SAGE Pilot or SAGE Wave 1).
Country-specific adaptations to SAGE questionnaires
Country-specific adaptations for SAGE questionnaires and data are available on request.
WHS/SAGE Wave 0 (2002-04)
WHS/SAGE Wave 0 survey instruments are available here . Data are in the public domain for SAGE countries Ghana, China, India, Mexico, Russian Federation, South Africa and 64 other countries participating in the WHS. Wave 0 meta- and micro-data are available through WHO at no cost. Complete and send a Users Agreement (see top of page to download form) via email with the subject line, "WHS/SAGE Wave 0 - Users Agreement"). A password will be forwarded to legitimate researchers to access the data via the WHO World Health Survey results.
| SAGE Wave 0 | Unweighted | Weighted | |||||
| Country | World Bank category | Sample size | N, 50plus | % 50plus | % 50plus females | % 60plus | % 80plus |
| Mexico | Upper-middle | 38746 | 11009 | 23.5 | 53.1 | 12 | 1.6 |
| Russian Fed. | Upper-middle | 4422 | 2308 | 50.4 | 67.8 | 36.6 | 4.2 |
| South Africa | Upper-middle | 2352 | 458 | 20.4 | 57.6 | 10.6 | 0.8 |
| China | Lower-middle | 3993 | 1409 | 37.2 | 49.9 | 19.1 | 1.9 |
| India | Lower-middle | 9994 | 2559 | 27.1 | 48.8 | 14.3 | 1.1 |
| Ghana | Low | 3938 | 1140 | 19.9 | 53.3 | 9.8 | 0.8 |
| Total | 63445 | 18883 | 29.7 | 55.1 | 17.1 | 1.7 | |
SAGE Q Rotations A-D & E
Four rotations were employed for Section 2000: Health state vignettes //and// Section 7000: Day Reconstruction Method. One respondent completes only one rotation (set) of the questionnaire.
- Set A: Affect and Mobility // Morning
- Set B: Pain and Personal relationships // Afternoon
- Set C: Vision, Sleep and Energy // Evening
- Set D: Cognition and Self-care // Summary full day
- Set E (Pilot only): Breathing and Hearing // Evening
SAGE Pilot study (2005)
The survey instrument for SAGE was based on surveys created as part of the World Health Organization's World Health Survey programme , comparisons to 16 other cross-sectional or longitudinal studies on ageing (including the US Health and Retirement Survey and the English Longitudinal Study on Ageing), recommendations from an expert Advisory Group, and cognitive testing of a draft instrument in two countries (South Africa and Viet Nam in 2004). The resulting survey instrument was piloted in Ghana, India and Tanzania in April through July 2005. The individual questionnaire was implemented in five rotations to decrease respondent and interviewer burden - with the Sections 2000 and 7000 differing (see box).
| SAGE Pilot (2005). | |||||||||
| Background characteristics by country. | |||||||||
| Ghana | India | Tanzania | |||||||
| Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | Total | |
| Age | |||||||||
| 18-49 | na | na | na | 14.8 | 6 | 10.4 | na | na | na |
| 50-59 | 50.9 | 44.1 | 47.2 | 32.2 | 37.3 | 34.8 | 40.9 | 37.5 | 39 |
| 60-69 | 24.8 | 30.4 | 27.9 | 34.7 | 30.5 | 32.6 | 28.8 | 35.1 | 32.4 |
| 70-79 | 16.4 | 17.1 | 16.8 | 16.1 | 20.6 | 18.3 | 20 | 15.4 | 17.4 |
| 80+ | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 2.1 | 5.2 | 3.6 | 10.2 | 11.9 | 11.2 |
| Missing | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Residence | |||||||||
| Urban | 90.7 | 89.4 | 89.9 | 53.8 | 54.9 | 54.4 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 1 |
| Rural | 9.3 | 10.6 | 10.1 | 46.2 | 45.1 | 45.6 | 98.6 | 99.3 | 99 |
| Marital Status | |||||||||
| Never | 2.3 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 5.5 | 0.4 | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0.2 |
| Currently | 79 | 36.5 | 55.6 | 87.7 | 58.8 | 73.4 | 80.5 | 28.8 | 51 |
| Separated/Divorced | 7.9 | 25.1 | 17.4 | 0 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 8.8 | 22.5 | 16.6 |
| Widowed | 10.3 | 37.6 | 25.4 | 6.8 | 39.1 | 22.8 | 10.2 | 47 | 31.2 |
| Co-habiting | 0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 | 1 |
| Missing | 0.5 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Education | |||||||||
| No formal education | 17.3 | 49.4 | 35 | 31.8 | 71.2 | 51.4 | 33.5 | 80.7 | 60.4 |
| Less than primary | 9.3 | 12.5 | 11.1 | 14.4 | 4.7 | 9.6 | 37.2 | 14.4 | 24.2 |
| Primary | 32.2 | 24.3 | 27.9 | 19.1 | 11.6 | 15.4 | 23.3 | 4.6 | 12.6 |
| Secondary | 20.6 | 8 | 13.6 | 11.9 | 4.3 | 8.1 | 4.7 | 0 | 2 |
| High School | 12.1 | 4.6 | 8 | 8.1 | 2.1 | 5.1 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| College/University | 6.1 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 8.9 | 4.7 | 6.8 | 1.4 | 0 | 0.6 |
| Post graduate | 1.9 | 0 | 0.8 | 5.9 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Missing | 0.5 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Income quintile | |||||||||
| 1 (lowest) | 13.6 | 24 | 19.3 | 20.3 | 17.2 | 18.8 | 8.8 | 28.1 | 19.8 |
| 2 | 19.6 | 18.3 | 18.9 | 17.8 | 19.7 | 18.8 | 19.1 | 20.4 | 19.8 |
| 3 | 21.5 | 17.5 | 19.3 | 14.4 | 23.2 | 18.8 | 19.1 | 20.7 | 20 |
| 4 | 20.1 | 18.6 | 19.3 | 20.3 | 20.2 | 20.3 | 23.7 | 17.2 | 20 |
| 5 (highest) | 22.9 | 16 | 19.1 | 25.4 | 19.3 | 22.4 | 28.4 | 13 | 19.6 |
| Missing | 2.3 | 5.7 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Number | 214 | 263 | 477 | 236 | 233 | 469 | 215 | 285 | 500 |
The micro-data are in the public domain and available on request through WHO at no cost. Basic survey metrics and descriptive results are available in the document attached below. Complete and send a Users Agreement (available at top of page) via email with subject line, "SAGE Pilot - Users Agreement"). A password will be forwarded to legitimate researchers to access the data.
SAGE Pilot survey materials can be downloaded by clicking on the links below, including summary results, household and individual questionnaires, and the appendices (which include the visual aids used by interviewers during the interviews).
SAGE Pilot summary and descriptives
Pilot - SAGE HHQ
Pilot - SAGE Individual Q
Questionnaire appendix, India pilot.
SAGE Wave 1 (2007-10)
Weighted data sets using DDI standards, SAGE 1.1.0, are now in the public domain and available from WHO at no cost for all six SAGE countries. Data requests should include a completed Users Agreement form (see top of page to download form then complete, scan and send via email with subject line, "SAGE Wave 1 first release - Users Agreement"). A password and web link will be forwarded to legitimate researchers to access the data. Users are requested to use the following acknowledgement: “This paper uses data from WHO SAGE version 1.1.0. These data are first release and subject to change with further cleaning and weighting. SAGE was supported by the US National Institute on Aging, Division of Behavioral and Social Research through an Inter-Agency Agreement.”
The SAGE survey instruments assessed health status and health systems from a household and individual perspective. SAGE also evaluated perceptions of well-being and more objective measures of health, including measured performance tests: 4m timed walk; spirometry; cognitive battery (verbal fluency, immediate and delayed recall, digit span forward and backward); near and distance vision; and, grip strength; and biomarkers: blood pressure and pulse rate; height and weight; hip and waist circumference; and, blood spot from fingerprick.
| SAGE Wave 1 | ||||||
| Background characteristics by country (unweighted). | ||||||
| China | Ghana | India | Mexico | Russia | South Africa | |
| Total (N) | 14 785 | 5 573 | 12 198 | 2 734 | 3 418 | 4 227 |
| Sex (%) | ||||||
| Men | 47 | 52.8 | 38.7 | 38.3 | 37.1 | 42.5 |
| Women | 53 | 47.3 | 61.3 | 61.7 | 62.9 | 57.5 |
| Age group (%) | ||||||
| 18-49 | 11 | 15.8 | 41.6 | 15.6 | 8.5 | 9.1 |
| 50-59 | 39.5 | 33.1 | 26.2 | 15.8 | 34.1 | 40.1 |
| 60-69 | 26.3 | 23.6 | 19.9 | 34.2 | 24.9 | 29.2 |
| 70-79 | 18.5 | 19.3 | 9.4 | 22.6 | 23.7 | 15.7 |
| 80+ | 4.7 | 8.3 | 2.9 | 11.8 | 8.8 | 5.9 |
| Highest education level (%) | ||||||
| Completed college/university | 6.2 | 7.4 | 10.8 | 6.4 | 20.8 | 7.3 |
| Completed high school or equiv | 17.8 | 34.7 | 19.5 | 4.8 | 50.7 | 10.7 |
| Completed secondary | 28 | 11.2 | 22.7 | 13.4 | 18.9 | 19.5 |
| Completed primary | 25.4 | 25.2 | 27.9 | 28.6 | 7.8 | 31.1 |
| Less than primary | 22.6 | 21.6 | 19.1 | 46.8 | 1.9 | 31.4 |
| Current marital status (%) | ||||||
| Not married | 15.8 | 40 | 22.4 | 36.5 | 42.5 | 47 |
| Married (or in partnership) | 84.2 | 60 | 77.6 | 63.5 | 57.5 | 53 |
| Currently working (%) | 55.7 | 65.9 | 56.7 | 75.7 | 53.6 | 71.3 |
| Have always lived in area (%) | 50.6 | 73.2 | 64.2 | 53.5 | 36.8 | 32.2 |
Standardized SAGE survey instruments were used in all countries consisting of five main parts: 1) household questionnaire; 2) individual questionnaire; 3) proxy questionnaire; 4) verbal autopsy questionnaire; and, 5) appendices including showcards. A VAQ was completed for deaths in the household over the last 24 months. The procedures for including country-specific adaptations to the standardized questionnaire and translations into local languages from English follow those developed by and used for the World Health Survey.
SAGE Wave 1 survey materials can be downloaded by clicking on the links below, including the generic household, individual and proxy questionnaires, the verbal autopsy and Survey Manual.
Wave 1 Household Questionnaire .
- 0000 Coversheet
- 0100 Sampling Information
- 0200 Geocoding and GPS Information
- 0300 Recontact Information
- 0350 Contact Record
- 0400 Household Roster
- 0450 Kish Tables and Household Consent
- 0500 Housing
- 0600 Household and Family Support Networks and Transfers
- 0700 Assets and Household Income
- 0800 Household Expenditures
- 0900 Interviewer Observations
- 0900 Verbal Autopsy
Wave 1 Individual Questionnaire
- 1000 Socio-Demographic Characteristics
- 1500 Work History and Benefits
- 2000 Health State Descriptions and Vignettes
- 2500 Anthropometrics, Performance Tests and Biomarkers
- 3000 Risk Factors and Preventive Health Behaviours
- 4000 Chronic Conditions and Health Services Coverage
- 5000 Health Care Utilization
- 6000 Social Cohesion
- 7000 Subjective Well-Being and Quality of Life (WHOQoL-8 and Day Reconstruction Method)
- 8000 Impact of Caregiving
- 9000 Interviewer Assessment
Wave 1 Proxy Respondent Questionnaire
- 0 Proxy Consent Form
- 1 IQ Code
- 2 Health State Descriptions
- 4 Chronic Conditions and Health Services Coverage
- 5 Health Care Utilization
Verbal Autopsy Questionnaire
Wave 1 Survey Manual (QxQ Guide)
OTHER KEY ISSUES FOR SAGE
- Adapting the instruments to address local concerns / addressing methodological issues through focused studies, for example: caregiving burden in sub-Saharan Africa; nutritional assessment in older adults; culture-fair cognitive assessments;
- Addressing problems of accuracy in age-reporting;
- Planning effective follow-up strategies – taking into account migration and attrition issues;
- Improving cross-national comparability of data through additional validation studies of survey methodologies;
- Testing and validating new, novel methods – such as the Day Reconstruction Method as part of the Subjective well-being and quality of life module; and,
- Developing linkages with national and local data collection efforts (for example, HRS, ELSA, SHARE, INDEPTH, CHARLs, LASI, SABE, NFHS, ALSWH and others).