48: 35 year follow up of the Tasmanian Asthma Study

Risk factors for chronic respiratory diseases in middle age: 35 year follow up of the Tasmanian Asthma Study ($97,730)

This grant will assist a follow up project on the 1968 Tasmanian Asthma Study which was, at the time, the second largest asthma study in the world.

Building on the data collected from this extraordinary project, this study will focus on 1673 participants of whom 767 had asthma and 906 did not. 75% are still living in Tasmania, equally distributed between northern and southern parts of the state. Participants will be invited to attend lung function laboratories for clinical investigations. The Victorian Asthma Foundation and the University of Melbourne will assist in locating the 25% known living outside the state – 82% have been traced.

Establishing how asthma has continued to effect the lives of those diagnosed over thirty-five years ago will add greatly to our knowledge and understanding of the disease. Although the outcomes of this study are likely to be generally applicable across Australia, they will be particularly relevant to the Tasmanian Community.