Residents of the Eastern Townships are invited to participate in the largest study of aging ever undertaken in Canada. The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) will follow approximately 50,000 men and women between the ages of 45 and 85 for at least 20 years.

This national study will collect information on the changing biological, medical, psychological, social and economic aspects of people’s lives. Some 20,000 residents will take part in a telephone interview once every three years and 30,000 Canadian residents will visit one of the eleven data collection sites in Canada, including Sherbrooke’s Research Centre on Aging located at the D’Youville Hospital and Residential Centre.

“Here, at the Research Centre on Aging, we will welcome 3,000 participants living in a 50 km radius around Sherbrooke”, said Hélène Payette, researcher at the centre and professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Université de Sherbrooke. A nutrition specialist, Payette is responsible for both the Sherbrooke data collection site and the national CLSA working group on health and lifestyle.

“The data collected over 20 years will help us shed light on causes of disease and disability as well as help us understand why some people stay healthy as they get older and other people develop health problems,” said the researcher.

Specifically, residents of the Eastern Townships living within a 50-kilometre radius of Sherbrooke will be called by Léger Marketing and asked if they are interested in taking part in this important study. People aged 45-85 who are interested will receive an information package by mail and a member of the scientific team will visit them. Once every three years, they will be invited to go to the Research Centre on Aging for a 2.5-hour visit that includes an interview and basic biological and physical measures.

“The Research Centre on Aging is the only data collection site located outside major metropolitan centres”, said Carol Fillion, director of the Health and Social Services Centre, University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke (CSSS-IUGS). “I encourage people to take part in this study. The research that stems from this project will benefit the future generations, and even us, by creating health care and services that are more adapted to healthy aging. CSSS-IUGS is one of the two university institutes of geriatrics in Quebec and I am very happy that, by our presence in the scientific community, Sherbrooke will benefit economically and scientifically from such study.”

A $2.5 million investment

The Sherbrooke data collection site benefits from $1.1 million to develop the necessary infrastructure and from $1.5 million to conduct the first wave of data collection, which will last three years.

“The Université de Sherbrooke is already playing a major role in Quebec when it comes to research on aging,” said Jacques Beauvais, vice-president of research at the Université de Sherbrooke. “Our partnership with the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging will allow our researchers to combine their efforts with those of 160 collaborators across 26 universities in Canada. Future generations of multidisciplinary researchers will benefit from the data generated by pooling their knowledge to paint the most accurate picture of aging ever in Canadian history.”

“By 2026, one in five Canadians will be 65 years old,” said Michel Tousignant, director of the Research Centre on Aging of the CSSS-IUGS, and professor at Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. “In some provinces, the proportion of elderly will double. Aging is becoming a major challenge to the development of our communities. The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging will collect a range of data that will help researchers improve the health and well-being of populations. I am very proud that our research centre is involved in this major study that will also have an impact on the scientific community by allowing many researchers and students to work together on multidisciplinary projects. Already, this study has created 25 skilled jobs in research.”

The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging is led by principal investigator Parminder Raina of McMaster University. Susan Kirkland of Dalhousie University and Christina Wolfson of McGill University are co-principal investigators. In addition, a team of more than 160 researchers across the country collaborate on the study.

“The CLSA represents a unique platform that will be used by researchers from all disciplines and fields, and that has the potential to contribute significantly to our understanding of biological, psychological and social determinants of active and healthy aging for the benefit of all Canadians,” said Yves Joanette, scientific director of CIHR's Institute of Aging (CIHR-IA).

The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging is a strategic initiative of Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Overall support for the study has been provided by the Government of Canada through the CIHR and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, as well as by Quebec partners, the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Fonds de recherche québécois-santé and through the Quebec Network for Research on Aging.