The Lifespan Health Research Unit is part of the School’s Social Sciences group. Headed by Professor Annette Dobson, the Unit, with its staff of 13, conducts research on a broad range of health issues across the human lifespan. The unit is currently running two major studies, the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health and the Men, Women and Ageing project.
The Australian Longitudinal on Women’s Health (sometimes referred to as Women’s Health Australia) is a longitudinal population-based survey examining the health of over 40,000 Australian women over a 20 year period. The sample comprises three cohorts of women who were first surveyed in 1996. Women in the Younger sample were then aged 18-23, the Mid-aged women were aged 45-50, and the Older women were aged 70-75. Each cohort is surveyed once every three years.
The project was designed to explore factors that influence health among women who are broadly representative of the entire Australian population.
Explains Professor Dobson: “The study goes beyond the narrow, previously-held perspective that saw women's health as all about reproductive and sexual health. Instead, it takes a comprehensive view of all aspects of health throughout women's lifespan.”
The project assesses physical and emotional health (including well-being, major diagnoses, symptoms); use of health services (GP, specialist and other visits, access, satisfaction); health behaviours and risk factors (diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol, other drugs); time use (including paid and unpaid work, family roles and leisure); and sociodemographic factors (location, education, employment, family composition).
Now in its 11th year, the study has examined many issues. Current projects include
- Patterns of use of major pharmaceuticals, using record linkage with PBS data
- Impact of family caregiving on women’s participation in paid work
- Factors affecting survival in older women
A major role of the study is supplying information about women’s health and their use of health services to governments and other decision-making bodies within Australia.
The study’s comprehensive website www.alswh.org.au contains further information including lists of publications, substudies, collaborative projects and opportunities, survey questionnaires and tabulations of frequencies for data items.
Students are encouraged to contact ALSWH staff and investigators to discuss project ideas for any of the Research Directions of the Study.
Email: sph-wha@sph.uq.edu.au.
Maintaining health and independent living are high priorities for Australia’s rapidly-expanding older population. The Men, Women and Ageing project capitalises on two existing large-scale studies – the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health and the Health in Men Study (involving over 12,000 older men from Perth, Western Australia) -- to increase scientific understanding of strategies for maintaining the health and well-being of older people living in the community.
The two research teams have designed the projects to be compatible, with identical survey questions and overlapping research designs. The Women’s study is larger and has national coverage, while the Men’s study includes more direct physical measures and a wider age range. This project will combine data from these two studies.
The study’s website http://www.menwomenandageing.org/ contains further information.
