NEWS30 May 2017

Canadian government invests in longitudinal health research

Healthcare News North America

CANADA – The Government of Canada is supporting a pan-Canadian platform of research, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), which will follow 51,000 Canadians aged 45 to 85 (at recruitment) for 20 years.

The government has invested $1.7m to support 25 projects to be carried out across the country to use and analyse baseline CLSA data to answer health-related questions, on the biological, medical, psychological, social, lifestyle and economic aspects of ageing, disability and disease.

The platform is intended to be a valuable source of data for early career researchers and trainees. It will include data on health status, physical assessments, diseases, cognition, psychological well-being and mental health, social well-being, economic aspects of ageing and blood-based biological markers. 

"As our population ages, we need to work to ensure that Canadians continue to get the services they need, in a way that is appropriate to their needs," said Jane Philpott, Minister of Health.

"Research is a critical building block for providing better support to Canadians, and I congratulate each of the 25 teams of researchers that will explore the rich CLSA data to provide answers to their questions. I also applaud all the Canadians participating in this important national effort."