Study Objectives:
- Develop a data bank containing information on health, health-related measurements and biological samples.
- Encourage and facilitate the data bank by academic research for health research and for training the next generation of health researchers.
Study Sample:
The Atlantic Path will recruit 30,000 men and women aged 35 to 69 from throughout Atlantic Canada, with each province contributing a sample proportional to Atlantic Canada.
Forty percent of Atlantic Canadians in the target age group live in Nova Scotia, so the target sample size for the province is 40 percent of 30,000 study participants – or 12,000 participants. Target samples sizes for the other provinces are 9600 for New Brunswick, 1800 for Prince Edward Island and 6600 for Newfoundland and Labrador.
Methods:
Individuals participating in the Atlantic Path will visit a study Assessment Centre for about 1 ½ hours to answer a number of questions relating to:
- Demographics, lifestyle and behaviour.
- General health, with gender-specific questionnaires.
- Physical activity.
- Nutrition.
- Residential history, allowing linkage to geospatial data and the built, social and natural environments.
- Occupational history, allowing assessment of occupational exposure.
Participants will be asked to provide blood (for plasma, serum, red blood cells and buffy coat), saliva, urine and toenail samples for long-term storage and future analysis.
Finally, a number of physical measurements will be taken:
- Blood pressure
- Heel ultrasound to obtain a measure of bone density.
- Grip strength.
- Standing and sitting height.
- Hip and waist circumference.
- Weight and percentage body fat.
The data and samples collected through the Atlantic Path will be stored and made available to the academic research community for research purposes by way of a data access application process, as will the data and samples from the other regions participating in the national study, the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project. |
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