FAQs

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  • What is this Study about?

    The 45 and Up Study is a long-term health study of men and women aged 45 and over living in NSW. It is the largest follow-up study ever undertaken in Australia. Information gathered by the Study will assist researchers in their efforts to improve prevention and treatment of the main health problems people face in later life, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mental health problems and musculoskeletal disease. Because of the size and comprehensiveness of the Study, findings will be of national and international importance.

  • Why do the Study on people 45 and older?

    Australia, and particularly NSW, is experiencing an ageing boom. In fact, the number of Australians aged 65 and over is expected to increase by around 50% in the next 15 to 20 years.

    The focus of the Study is to promote healthy ageing, thereby improving and maximising the quality of life of Australians in the coming years.

  • Why do the Study in NSW?

    This Study needs as wide a range of people aged 45 and over as possible to join it and will draw from the unique diversity of the NSW population. We need men and women from all walks of life, all social and ethnic backgrounds, all lifestyles and interests to take part.

  • What is the research focus of the Study?

    The Study will follow the health of study participants to examine which factors are associated with good or poor health as people grow older.

    Initially the focus will be on the risk factors for, and burden of, common diseases and health conditions that affect us when we get older, including cancer, obesity, arthritis, depression, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In addition, the Study will look at social, economic and environmental issues that affect health, such as rural/urban differences, retirement and ethnicity, and issues affecting the wellbeing of people aged 80 and over.

  • What is the composition and representativeness of the cohort?

    The goal is to establish a group of 250,000 men and women aged 45 and over across NSW.  This will represent around 10% of the NSW population in this age group.

    Potential participants will be sampled by Medicare Australia.

    The cohort will be composed of people aged 45 and over who return a completed questionnaire and consent to take part in the Study.  The cohort is not designed to be strictly representative of the general population of NSW, since a strictly representative sample would include insufficient numbers of individuals from particular groups of interest (e.g. rural residents, migrants).  Rather, it is planned that participants will come from a broad range of socioeconomic backgrounds and regions throughout the state, with a wide range of exposure to factors of interest.  Increased participation from certain groups will be achieved by oversampling, based on population level information.

  • Have there been any other studies like this?

    The 45 and Up Study is the first large-scale study of its kind in Australia. There have been other studies like this done in other countries such as the UK Million Women Study and the US Cancer Prevention Studies.

  • What do participants have to do?

    Potential participants are sent an Information for Participants' leaflet and a baseline questionnaire for either men or women. To participate they must complete the questionnaire, provide informed consent by signing the consent form on the last page, and return the questionnaire in the reply paid envelope provided.

    A follow-up questionnaire will be sent to participants five years from recruitment to update information about their health and lifestyle. In addition, their health will be followed via linkages to already routinely collected data sources such as records of hospital admissions and medical and surgical procedures, registers of deaths, cancers and infectious diseases, and use of medications and aged care facilities.

    At a later stage, participants may also be invited to take part in additional research projects or to provide biological samples (such as blood and saliva), and participants can choose if they want to do anything extra for the Study.

  • Who can access the Study information, and how?

    The 45 and Up Study aims to be a resource for high quality research over the coming decades.  Researchers wishing to use Study data are encouraged to apply to the Study with details of their project.  Information about research projects using Study data that are already underway can be found here.

    The application process for researchers wishing to use data from the Study is outlined here.

  • Can you tell me more about the routine health information the 45 and Up Study plans to link to?

    As part of the 45 and Up Study, information from the questionnaire will be linked to already routinely collected health information on people participating in the Study. This includes information on current, past and future health and treatments and procedures, including the health services that are used. By using all available sources of information we will be able to better understand the factors influencing health and health needs in the wider community.

    The availability of this type of health information for use by researchers is unique world-wide and means that Australia will be able to contribute new and important knowledge on a broad range of health issues.

    Health records that may be used in the 45 and Up Study include: