Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (*)

The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study continuously follows 1,037 people born over the course of a year (1972-1973) in Dunedin, New Zealand. Respondents were recruited at birth and assessed at the age of three when the longitudinal study was established. After that, they were assessed every two years until the age of 15, at which point they were assessed at ages 18 (1990-91), 21 (1993-94), 26 (1998-99), 32 (2003-2005) and 38 (2010-2012), and at 45 (2017-2019) with the hopes of future assessments. The Dunedin study gathered respondent information on topic areas as diverse as cardiovascular health and risk factors, respiratory health, oral health, sexual and reproductive health, mental health and psychosocial functioning. The study was an early collector of DNA and other biomarkers. More recently, the study developed a protocol for collecting RNA to study gene expression.

Data Collection Category
Longitudinal Surveys
Last Year of Data
2017-2019
Birth Year
1972-1973
Age Range at Last Data Collection
45
Biomarkers/ Administrative or Other Data Elements
DNA, RNA, OBM, PM, AD, PER
Primary Funding Agency
Health Research Council of New Zealand, New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, US National Institutes of Health (various branches) and the UK Medical Research Council
Duke Principal Investigator(s)