Sax Institute Launches 18 and Up Study of 100,000 People

The Sax Institute has launched a new long-term health study, 18 and Up, which aims to recruit 100,000 people and follow them over many years, The Guardian reported. The study will track the health of people aged 18 to 45 throughout their lives.

Its stated aim is to better understand what drives mental illness and the rising rates of cancer among younger people. Adjunct Professor Justine Gatt is the study's scientific director. Dr Martin McNamara is chief executive of the Sax Institute, a research organisation.

The Sax Institute describes 18 and Up as an intergenerational mental health and wellbeing project. It extends the approach of the institute's earlier 45 and Up Study, which has more than 267,000 participants aged 45 to over 100. Children and grandchildren of 45 and Up participants will be invited to take part in the new study.

Participants will be asked about their health, lifestyle, social circumstances and background. They will also be asked to consent to having their information linked to health records, including cancer registries and Medicare, the national health insurance scheme.