Halifax site celebrates participant milestones
Nova Scotians are known for having a knack for longevity. But it also turns out they are enthusiastic about research into the aging process.
In July, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) welcomed its 1,000th participant to the Halifax Data Collection Site at Dalhousie University. The response from residents in the province has been tremendous.
The Halifax Data Collection Site staff celebrating 1,000 participants.
“The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging would not be where it is today if it wasn’t for the participants. We would like to thank all the people who have volunteered their time to be a part of this study,” said Susan Kirkland, CLSA co-principal investigator and professor at Dalhousie University. “The dedication and hard work of our staff in Halifax has also made this milestone possible.”
Thirty thousand of the 50,000 CLSA participants take part in the study by visiting data collection sites, where they complete physical assessments lasting approximately 2 ½ hours. Information about physical, emotional and social health functioning is gathered and will be used by researchers to better understand the dynamic process of aging.
The remaining 20,000 participants take part in hour-long telephone interviews conducted from four centres across the country. To date, the Halifax team has completed more than 8,000 telephone interviews.
The CLSA has a network of 11 data collection sites located at universities and research institutes nationwide. Halifax is the latest site to reach 1,000 participants. Over the next two years, the site will welcome 2,000 additional participants.