Fifty-year-olds to take part in study

Otago University is calling on Christchurch 50-year-olds to take part in a study on ageing and wellbeing.

The study leader, Professor Peter Joyce, said the Canterbury health, ageing and lifecourse (Chalice) study would help fill a void in knowledge about attitudes to ageing and the wellbeing of people in the second half of their life.

Fifty was the new "mid-life" as some of the participants would live until at least 100, he said.

Initial funding was for 1000 participants, but he hoped to increase that to more than 2000.

Joyce said 50 was one of the healthiest ages mentally.

The study would look at possible early indicators of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, he said.

It would monitor people's physical and heart health as well as the impact of financial and social stresses.

Joyce said today's 50-year-olds were the "sandwich generation" because they often had elderly parents and could have children with the early onset of chronic disease.

The study could help form decisions on how to deliver health services to a rapidly ageing population, he said.

Debbie Reeves, of Christchurch, said it would be exciting to be involved in the study. She would turn 50 in September and was feeling fit and healthy.

She said there was a huge difference between her health at 50 and that of her parents, who had both been smokers.

Reeves said she was nervous about what already "stretched" health services would be able to provide in the future, so keeping herself well was important.

The first letters inviting people to join the study will go out to a randomly selected group of Canterbury 50-year-olds.

This will be done next week.

- © Fairfax NZ News