Frequently Asked
Questions
On this page we post a list of frequently asked questions about
the study (e.g., ‘how long will the study go for’, and
‘who is taking the face-to-face interviews’?) and the
answers to these questions. If you have a question that is not in
the list of ‘frequently asked questions’ then please
do not hesitate to contact Mr Andy Towers either by phone or by
email (see contact information at the bottom of the page) and he
will be only too glad to answer your query.
What is the study about?
We are trying to figure out what aspects of people’s lives
before retirement allow people to have a better, more independent
and rewarding life in retirement. Previous research indicates that
physical and mental health, employment factors, and retirement plans
at mid-life (i.e., your 50’s to 60’s) may be some of
the most important factors to impact upon life in retirement. We
will be asking questions about all of these factors and will follow
this up with more general information about people in the study
(e.g., marital status, employment status, family size). This information
will help us understand what it is that influences New Zealanders
lives in retirement.
Why have I been selected?
Your name was one of over 13,000 that was randomly selected
(i.e., it was selected by chance) from the 2005 New Zealand
Electoral Roll. We do not know who you are, or what you do;
you have been chosen solely because your name was listed on the
roll. As health researchers we are granted access to the New
Zealand Electoral Roll in order to recruit participants for
studies such as this one.
Is the survey confidential?
This study is absolutely confidential. We maintain your confidentiality
by ensuring that no one outside the research team will ever be given
access to personal responses from any one of our participants. Your
responses to the questionnaire or interviews remain confidential
to you and the research team. When we wish to present information
to the public media, we will only ever use summed or average responses.
For instance, any news item or research article that is published
from this study will only ever contain information about general
responses (i.e., commenting on what is said in general
by men, women or people in full-time employment), rather than providing
specific responses from one individual.
Who is carrying out the study?
This study is based in the School of Psychology at Massey University,
Palmerston North. However, it is actually a collaboration between
the School of Psychology and The School of Maori Studies at Massey
University, the New Zealand Institute for Research on Aging (based
in Wellington), and the New Zealand Health Research Council.
Dr Fiona Alpass is the principal investigator in the current research
project. In 2005 Dr Fiona Alpass, based in the School of Psychology
at Massey University, secured over $1 million dollars in funding
from the New Zealand Health Research Council to start this longitudinal
project. This funding enabled her to assemble a research team whose
research strengths encompass areas such as work and retirement,
community health, adult development and aging, health policy implications
for older adults, Maori health and social development, and health
behaviours.
Why is the study important?
It is increasingly important that older people, who are becoming
a growing proportion of the New Zealand population, remain independent
and healthy. The New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy (Ministry
of Social Policy, 2001) highlights community participation, economic
involvement, and independence as important aspects of the health
of older adults during retirement. However, international research
shows that our lives in retirement may actually be heavily influenced
by events and stressors that we experienced before retirement
(i.e., in our 50’s and 60’s).
The problem we face is that there is little New Zealand research
on the health status of older workers, and on the relationships
between health and community participation, and health and positive
ageing in retirement. Most of the research on health in later life
focuses on older adults (65+ years) although, as we know, many health
conditions begin much earlier than this. Thus, the Government has
sought to improve our understanding of New Zealanders lives in retirement
by funding the current study.
What questions will I be asked?
The questionnaire that we will send out every two years will cover
6 broad areas.
- Health – the survey asks a number of questions about things
like your health status, any health concerns you may have faced
recently, and how your health may impact on your daily life. For
example, one set of question asks whether any physical problems
have interfered with your recent social activities.
- Physical Activity – the survey asks a number of questions
about your level of physical activity, such as the frequency of
activity and the level of activity. For example, one set of questions
asks how often you engage in a number of common activities such
as walking.
- Support – the survey asks a number of questions about
things like your sense of social support and about support networks
you may have. For example, one set of questions asks how often
you engage in conversation or social activities with groups ranging
from family through to friends and neighbours.
- Work – the survey asks a number of work-related questions,
covering areas like your desire for work, your work relationships,
and your thoughts about working life. For example, one set of
questions asks what aspects of your work you are satisfied or
dissatisfied with.
- Retirement – the survey asks a number of questions regarding
retirement, like your plans for retirement, how much you have
discussed it and what you feel about different aspects of retirement.
For example, one set of questions asks whether during retirement
you will continue some paid employment or not.
- General Information – the survey asks a number of demographic
questions about you, like information regarding your ethnicity,
your employment status, and your household makeup. For example,
one set of questions asks whether you live in a rural or urban
area.
Who is paying for the study?
This longitudinal study has been funded for an initial three-year
period by the Health Research Council of New Zealand.
Who can I contact about the study?
The study has employed a full-time research officer to manage
all aspects of the research. His name is Andy Towers, and he is
located in the School of Psychology at Massey University, Palmerston
North. If you require any information regarding the study, or you
would just like to talk to someone about the study or the questionnaire,
then please do not hesitate to contact him.
You can reach him through the free-phone number for the study
(0800 100 134) or on the study email address (hwr@massey.ac.nz).
Alternatively, he can be contacted directly as follows:
Andy Towers
School of Psychology
Massey University
Private Bag 11 222
Palmerston North
Ph: (06) 356 9099 extn. 2049
Email: hwr@massey.ac.nz
How long will the study go for?
We anticipate running the study for at least 10 years. We hope
to track as many people as we can through retirement, from 2006
through to 2016. During this time participants will be surveyed
every second year and, for those willing to do so, interviews will
also take place on the same timeframe.
Who is taking the face-to-face interviews?
There are two sets of face-to-face interviews that will be conducted
for the study.
The first set of interviews will involve members of the general
population from the lower North Island (from Palmerston North to
Wellington, including the Wairarapa from Masterton to the south).
These interviews will be conducted by Associate Professor Judith
Davey and her team from the New Zealand Institute for Research on
Ageing.
The second set of interviews will be conducted as part of the Te
Hoe Nuku Roa Study, a 25-year longitudinal study of Maori households
which is based in the School of Maori Studies, Te Putahi-a-Toi.
Participants for this set of interviews will be selected from the
database for the Te Hoe Nuku Roa study.
If you have any query that is
not answered on this page or you would like a clarifications please
contact via:
Ph: 0800 100-134
Email: hwr@massey.ac.nz
|
