Left to right: Grace Walker, Geri McLeod, Martin Kennedy, Bridget Kinnersley, John Horwood, Janet Spittlehouse, Joe Boden, Bhuban Dhakal, James Foulds
Not pictured: Emeritus Professor David M. Fergusson
The Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) has been in existence for 40 years. During this time we have followed the health, education and life progress of a group of 1,265 children born in the Christchurch (New Zealand) urban region during mid-1977.
This cohort has now been studied from infancy into childhood, adolescence and adulthood. The data gathered over the course of the study now comprises some 50 million characters of information, with which the study has published over 480 scientific papers, reports, books and book chapters describing the 40-year life history of the Christchurch Health and Development Study cohort.
We have recently started interviewing the Christchurch Health and Development Study participants for their 40 year assessment.
Calling all participants!
As many of you know, we are currently working through our 40 year data collection. As part of this, we are also hoping to find people who did not participate in the 35 year (or earlier) interviews to see if they would like to come back into the Study.
It has been a common misconception that once you miss an assessment, you can no longer take part in the Study, but that is definitely *not* the case! So, if you know of anyone who is part of the Study and who hasn't been interviewed recently, but would perhaps like to come back, please point them in our direction (or point us in their direction).
We would love to have anyone back who would like to be a part of the Christchurch Health and Development Study again!
Funding
Health Research Council of New Zealand
News
May 2019
- More from Joe about the consequences of cannabis use: Alison Mau: Family First is trying to scare you - don't fall for it
- Joe’s been out and about talking about cannabis again – at the Royal Society of New Zealand in Wanaka: Cannabis use in the Christchurch Health & Development Study cohort: Findings and context, and at the Social Change Collective in Wellington: Is it high time to legalise cannabis in New Zealand?
February 2019
- We're one of the studies (in fact, the only NZ study) in this analysis: Mothers return to pre-pregnancy drinking within five years: study
- We publish our 500th paper! Check out our long list of Publications.
- Joe's on TVNZ Breakfast, talking about the perils of using cannabis when young: Regular cannabis use at a young age increases the risk of suicide and depression later in life, study finds
November 2018
- As the Government considers options for abortion law reform, Joe talks to Stuff about the mental health issues involved: Abortion: Separating the facts from the fiction
Read more in CHDS News
