HLS is a nationwide research study that follows Dutch adults aged 60 to 66 to understand how work, health, and personal circumstances influence people’s ability to work until retirement in good health.

The study is carried out by researchers from Amsterdam UMC, Vrije University and the NIDI-KNAW. For more details please refer to our team and partners pages.

If you agree to participate, you’ll complete:

• A main questionnaire (about 60 minutes),

• A life-history module (about 20 minutes),

• Two follow-up questionnaires (in 2027 and 2028).

You can choose to participate online or on paper, and reminders will be sent.

You were selected by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) based on specific criteria from national population and employment registries. The study includes people who:

• Are between 60 and 66 years old at the time of sampling,

• Are registered residents of the Netherlands living in private households,

• Have a known collective labor agreement (CAO) code, which helps link your data to employment sector policies,

• And are currently working or have recent work history or intent to work.

To ensure the study reflects the diversity of the Dutch population, people with a migration background are intentionally oversampled. This allows researchers to study retirement pathways across cultural and socioeconomic groups.

If you are selected to participate, you will first receive a letter of solicitation. This letter will invite you to take part in the study and will include:

• A paper questionnaire or login details to complete the questionnaire online (your choice).

• An informed consent form for you to sign.

• An information leaflet explaining the purpose and details of the study.

You can choose to participate either by returning the completed paper questionnaire or by filling it out online using the provided credentials.

The questionnaire covers topics such as:

• Your work situation and retirement plans

• Physical and mental health

• Social relationships and activities

• Demographic and socioeconomic background

If you don’t respond to the first letter inviting you to participate in the Healthpath Longitudinal Study, you will receive a series of follow-up reminders to give you additional opportunities to take part. The reminder schedule is as follows:

• 2 weeks after the first letter: You will receive the first reminder letter.

• 5 weeks after the first letter: You will receive a second reminder.

• 7 weeks after the first letter: A final reminder will be sent.

• 8 weeks after the first letter: The response window will close.

Each letter includes the option to complete the questionnaire online or on paper, and reiterates the chance to win a €400 gift card as part of the participant draw. You are under no obligation to respond, but your participation is greatly valued and helps us better understand how to support healthy working lives.

Yes. There are no medical procedures involved. Your answers are confidential and securely processed according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) standards. Data are pseudonymized and only used for scientific research.

Yes, participation is entirely voluntary. You can stop at any time without giving a reason. However, you must report this immediately to the researcher. The data collected up to that point will still be used for the study.

Participants have a chance to win a €400 gift card through a prize draw and may receive a small token of appreciation after completing the questionnaire.

Yes. Participants will receive a newsletter with general study findings. However, personal results or health advice are not provided.