The Health, Ageing and Retirement Panel study (HARPS) is a national study that aims to understand health and wellbeing as South Africans grow older. We aim to interview approximately 4,500 people 40 years and older, as well as their partners, to understand how their health and circumstances change over time.
Current fieldwork
We are currently visiting selected areas in the country as part of HARPS fieldwork activities. If you have been contacted by a HARPS fieldworker, you can verify their identity on our fieldworker identification and verification page. If your household has been selected to participate in HARPS, please visit our page for participants to learn more about the study and what participation involves.
HARPS partner institutions
HARPS is conducted by SALDRU at the University of Cape Town, in collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand and Harvard University.
HARPS is part of the Health and Aging in Africa: Longitudinal Studies in South Africa (HAALSA) group of studies, which are based at Harvard University and include our sister study HAALSI Agincourt. HARPS aims to compliment the research of these sister studies and be a companion study to the global network of Health and Retirement Study (HRS) International Family of Studies. HARPS will allow for a wider understanding of ageing not only in South Africa but internationally too.
HARPS, as part of HAALSA, is led by an interdisciplinary team of collaborators from the following institutions:
