The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) has been launched to investigate the complexities of the aging process with a view of improving our understanding of the transitions and trajectories of aging. The CLSA is a Canada-wide, 20 year follow-up study of 50,000 people between the ages of 45 and 85 years at baseline. Thirty thousand of these participants will be asked to provide in-depth information through physical examinations and biological specimen collections (Comprehensive Cohort). The remaining 20,000 (Tracking Cohort) will be asked to provide the common core information set by questionnaires only.

This initiative comes at a time when the baby boomers are moving into late middle-age and retirement, a demographic shift that has created a critical need for aging research to inform interventions, programs and policies, and to promote healthy aging for today's and tomorrow's seniors. This research is needed if future interventions and policies are to reach the objectives of improving health, allowing individuals to maintain desired levels of activity into late life, and increasing the lifespan as well as quality of life.

Centre on Aging's role
The Centre on Aging completed the first wave of data collection for the CLSA Tracking Cohort in November 2010; a total of 855 individuals in Manitoba and Saskatchewan completed a telephone interview.

The Centre on Aging is also one of eleven data collection sites for the CLSA Comprehensive Cohort. Dr. Verena Menec and Dr. Philip St. John are the Manitoba Site Co-Principal Investigators for CLSA, while Audrey Blandford serves as the local Site Coordinator.

For more information on the complete CLSA project, visit  www.clsa-elcv.ca

Funding provided by: Canada Foundation for Innovation, Province of Manitoba Research Innovation Fund, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, University of Manitoba

Contact us

Audrey Blandford
Manitoba Site DCS/CATI Coordinator

Centre on Aging, Deer Lodge Centre
8th floor,  2109 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg MB  R3J 0L3
phone: 204.833.1820
email: Audrey.Blandford@ad.umanitoba.ca