[MESGI50 study: description of a cohort on Maturity and Satisfactory Ageing].

Objective: To describe the demographic, health and socio-economic characteristics of the participants in the Study on Maturity and Satisfactory Ageing in Girona (MESGI50 study).

Methods: Population-based Study linked to the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The reference population was the inhabitants of the province of Girona (Spain) aged 50 and over. A probabilistic two-stage stratified cluster sampling according to the number of inhabitants and the degree of ageing of the population was used.

Results: Twenty-eight municipalities were randomly selected according to their type (demographically aged or young), and then stratified by the population size. The response rate was 65% with a mean of 1.7 eligible individuals per household and a final sample of 2,065 households and 3,331 participants. The design effect was 1.27. 52.9% were women and the mean age was 66.9 years (SD=11.5). The self-rated health status, hand grip strength, restriction in daily life activities and depressive symptomatology increased with age and more markedly in women. There were differences in alcohol consumption and eating patterns depending on the area of residence.

Conclusions: The demographic, health and socio-economic characteristics during the ageing process differ depending on age group, gender, and area of residence.