The IDA program

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Publications,  The IDA Program

The IDA program (Individual Development and Adaptation) is a large ongoing longitudinal research program which has followed people from their childhood when they went to school in the Swedish town Örebro in the middle of 1960s. The IDA program, previously named The Örebro Project, has thus far contributed with a huge amount of knowledge about people's development and the program has produced nearly 500 publications, about 150 of which are internationally peer-reviewed articles.

The IDA program started as a school research project and in the first data collection in 1965, three complete grades of inhabitants in Örebro were included, with almost 1300 children in every cohort (3rd grade, 6th grade and 8th grade). The two younger grades (3rd grade: the main group, born in 1955 and 6th grade: the pilot group, born in 1952) have since been followed in repeated data collections up to the age of adult. Enormous information has been collected, concerning intelligence, school performance, family background, self-experienced school adaptation, teacher's assessment of different behaviors, social relations, norms, self-declared symptoms and criminalities. In the adult age, the choice of study and occupation has also been studied, as well as working conditions, education, family life etc.. Comprehensive data collections have been done for the main group at the age of 43 (women) and 47 (men). The women also underwent a medical survey.

The IDA program started in 1964-1965 and was managed by Professor David Magnusson until 1996 when Professor Lars R. Bergman took over the responsibility. Bergman was in charge of the program until 2011. Professor Henrik Andershed and professor Anna-Karin Andershed, Örebro University were in charge 2011 until 2021. At present, Professor Jonas Persson is in charge of the IDA program.