Geelong study celebrates 30 years of knowledge gains in healthy ageing

The Deakin University led Geelong Osteoporosis Study (GOS) is one of only a few large population-based cohort studies in Australia documenting changes to the health and wellbeing of young, middle-aged and older women and men over the decades.

Initially designed to focus on osteoporosis and bone health more generally, the study has grown to include data related to the onset and progression of disorders including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, sarcopenia, cognitive decline, and the links between physical and mental health.

Professor Julie Pasco from the Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT) in Deakin's School of Medicine said the continuous nature of the study was only possible thanks to the thousands of Geelong-based participants willing to undergo the detailed and rigorous testing required to capture the range of physical and mental health data necessary for the study.

'With an ageing population in Australia it is really important we identify ways to promote practical ways to stay healthy and share that information with the community,' Professor Pasco said.

'Our data is used by scientists both here and internationally as the evidence base for national health campaigns as well as health modelling and further research.

'We couldn't have achieved this without the commitment and enthusiasm of our participants, many who joined the study in their 20s and are now in their 50s.'

The study, which has Barwon Health as a significant partner, began recruiting women from Geelong and other communities in the Barwon region between 1993 and 1997. By the end of the recruitment phase nearly 1500 women had enrolled, including 400 over the age of 70. Detailed baseline testing was followed up every two years for the first ten years, with further follow up testing at 15 and 25 years.

A new group of young women was recruited between 2006 and 2008 to replenish participants in the 20-to-30-years age group. Around 800 women remain in the study, aged between 39 and 91 years.

Male recruitment began in 2001 with the initial 1540 male participants now numbering about 650 with a similar age range as the female cohort.

Professor Pasco said data collected throughout the life of the study had helped build a better understanding of how our minds and bodies age and the lifestyle factors that promote healthy ageing.

'Chronic diseases are the leading cause of illness, disability and death in Australia and up to half of older Australians suffer physical or psychological characteristics of frailty which can lead to falls and other injuries,' Professor Pasco said.

'We know that regular weight bearing exercise or resistance training is important for maintaining bone and muscle strength and that sedentary lifestyles, excessive weight and high alcohol consumption accelerate bone and muscle wasting.

'We are also developing a better understanding of the relationship between mental and physical health and its links to the ageing process, so it is not just a matter of eating a healthy diet and getting the right amount of exercise but also managing stress levels and mental health in a comprehensive way.

'Getting adequate sleep, not smoking, managing existing health conditions, avoiding unnecessary and overuse of medications and maintaining social connections are all important factors to optimise health and wellbeing into older age.'

Data from the study is now linked to the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare, the Victorian Cancer Registry, the Australian Joint Replacement Registry, Medicare and the PBS, and the Department of Health and Ageing among others.

Ongoing GOS projects include:

• Developing a Healthy Ageing Index to identify patterns of environmental factors that help make healthy ageing a reality.
• Examining whether non-invasive risk prediction tools can be as effective at identifying individuals at high risk of future chronic disease as expensive medical tests.
• Developing ways to spot the early warning signs of frailty, and avoid, or even reverse, the loss of mobility and independence that can come with ageing.
• A world-first trial of a new device to predict the risk of bone fractures.
• The interplay between physical and mental health.