The life course approach offers a valuable framework for advancing our understanding of how intrinsic capacity, functional ability and supportive environment complement and interact throughout the trajectory of health and well-being. Adopting this approach requires an exploration of the possibility of linking existing health-related datasets across all age groups. Objectives: To review and assess the quality of data collected by various organizations including measurements aligned with the WHO’s life course framework, identify existing data gaps and explore opportunities for data linkage. Methods: Input from diverse stakeholders was sought to clarify the collected indicators. Eligible data sources for this review included datasets collected regularly within the past decade, covering nationally representative samples or substantial portions of the population. Results: A variety of potential datasets were identified, with additional datasets likely existing for internal use within government departments. Regular health-related surveys were broadly categorized into panel and repeated cross-sectional designs. Several public health, social service and registration databases, along with a limited number of surveys showed potential for linkage due to the inclusion of identification numbers. The feasibility of data sharing and linkage across central government departments depends on a shared mutual agreement, typically after following a bureaucratic approval process. Successful instances of data linkage by government organizations for policy and planning purposes were identified. Datasets maintained by local authorities within communities may encounter fewer barriers to data linkage. Conclusion: More efforts are needed to improve the discoverability of survey and service datasets and promote increased linkages among these resources. For more effective coordination, the establishment of a national committee by the government is recommended to oversee data governance and develop best practices for data sharing and linkages. Conducting a scoping review to identify studies showcasing successful data linkage could further inform these initiatives. In cases where direct data linkage may not be currently feasible, harnessing recent advances in statistical techniques, such as trend analysis, can provide valuable insights into studying the life course.
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