CLSA - Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) is a large, national, long-term study that will follow approximately 50,000 men and women between the ages of 45 and 85 for at least 20 years. The study will collect information on the changing biological, medical, psychological, social, lifestyle and economic aspects of people’s lives. These factors will be studied in order to understand how, individually and in combination, they have an impact in both maintaining health and in the development of disease and disability as people age.

Search Variables

Overview

Acronym

CLSA
Website

CLSA Website
Contacts
Start Year

2011

Study Design

Study design Cohort
Recruitment Target
  • Individuals
Number of participants

50,000

Number of participants with biosamples

30,000

Supplementary information about number of participants

Biospecimens collected: blood and urine.

Access

Access to external researchers or third parties provided or foreseen.

Data (questionnaire-derived, measured...)

Biosamples

Other access

Marker Paper

Raina PS, Wolfson C, Kirkland SA, Griffith LE, Oremus M, Patterson C, Tuokko H, Penning M, Balion CM, Hogan D, Wister A, Payette H, Shannon H, and Brazil K, The Canadian longitudinal study on aging (CLSA). Can J Aging, 2009. 28(3): p. 221-9.

PUBMED 19860977

Study Timeline

Each colour in the timeline graph below represents a separate Study Population, while each segment in the graph represents a separate Data Collection Event. Clicking on a segment gives more detailed information on a Data Collection Event.

Populations

CLSA Tracking

The CLSA Tracking assessment is comprised of more than 20 000 participants who completed the telephone interview, and is a representative sample of the Canadian population.

Sources of Recruitment

Supplementary Information

Provincial health registration databases and random digit dialing are additional sources of recruitment for the telephone interview.

Selection Criteria

Age Minimum age 45, Maximum age 85
Country Canada
Other

The CLSA uses the following exclusion criteria:

Individuals who are unable to respond in either French or English.

Cognitively impaired individuals at the time of recruitment.

The CLSA furthermore uses the same exclusion criteria as the Statistics Canada Canadian Community Health Survey - Healthy Aging 4.2:

  • Residents of the three territories.
  • Full-time members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
  • Individuals living in long-term care institutions (i.e., those providing 24-hour nursing care) will be excluded at baseline. However, those living in households and transitional housing arrangements (e.g., seniors’ residences, in which only minimal care is provided) will be included. CLSA cohort participants who become institutionalized during the course of the study will continue to be followed either through personal or proxy interview.
  • Persons living on reserves and other Aboriginal settlements. However, individuals who are of First Nations descent who live outside reserves are included in the study.

Sample Size

Number of participants

21,241

Data Collection Events

NameDescriptionStartEnd
Baseline 60-minute telephone interview

The first selection of the Tracking...

2011 (September)2014 (May)
Baseline 30-minute telephone interview (Maintaining Contact Questionnaire)

The maintaining contact interviews for the...

2013 (September)2016 (January)
First Follow-up

The first follow-up of telephone interviews for...

2015 (December)2018 (July)

CLSA Comprehensive

The CLSA Comprehensive assessment is comprised of more than 30 000 participants, undergoing both the face-to-face in-home interview and visit to one of the 11 Data Collection Sites (DCS) for physical assessments and biospecimen collection.

Sources of Recruitment

General Population
  • Selected sample
  • Random digit dialing
Supplementary Information

Individuals residing within a 25-50 kilometre radius of the 11 data collection sites (Victoria, Vancouver, Surrey, Calgary, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, Sherbrooke, Halifax, and St. John’s) are the only areas included for Comprehensive participants. Provincial health registration databases and random digit dialing are additional sources of recruitment for in-home interviews and DCS visits.

Selection Criteria

Age Minimum age 45, Maximum age 85
Country Canada
Territory

Victoria, Vancouver, Surrey, Calgary, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montréal, Sherbrooke, Halifax, and St. John’s.
Other

The exclusion criteria are as follows:

Individuals who are unable to respond in either French or English.

Cognitively impaired individuals at the time of recruitment.

The CLSA furthermore uses the same exclusion criteria as the Statistics Canada Canadian Community Health Survey - Healthy Aging 4.2:

  • Residents of the three territories.
  • Full-time members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
  • Individuals living in long-term care institutions (i.e., those providing 24-hour nursing care) will be excluded at baseline. However, those living in households and transitional housing arrangements (e.g., seniors’ residences, in which only minimal care is provided) will be included. CLSA cohort participants who become institutionalized during the course of the study will continue to be followed either through personal or proxy interview.
  • Persons living on reserves and other Aboriginal settlements. However, individuals who are of First Nations descent who live outside reserves are included in the study.

 

Sample Size

Number of participants

30,097

Number of participants with biosamples

25,504

Data Collection Events

NameDescriptionStartEnd
Baseline in-home interview and Data Collection Site visit

The recruitment of more than 30,000...

2012 (May)2015 (May)
Baseline 30-minute telephone interview (Maintaining Contact Questionnaire)

The maintaining contact interviews for the...

2014 (May)2016 (January)
First Follow-up

The first follow-up of in-home, face-to-face...

2015 (July)2018 (April)
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Variables Classification