We’re Checking Back In!

As part of its plan to track the health outcomes of nearly 30,000 British Columbians over several decades, the BC Generations Project launched a new Follow-Up Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire last fall.

“It’s been six years since the very first participants joined the BC Generations Project and completed their baseline Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire,” explains Dr. Nhu Le, Project co-leader.

“It’s now time for us to check in with participants and collect updated information about their health status and health behaviours as they are today.”

As a longitudinal cohort study, the BC Generations Project regularly collects data (health information and biosamples) from the same group of individuals over several decades. The power of this approach is in its ability to track health changes and disease outcomes over time.

“As we add new information to our store of de-identified data, we create a more complete picture and a richer resource for research into many different chronic diseases,” says Dr. Trevor Dummer, Project co-leader.

The Follow-Up Questionnaire covers the same topics from the baseline questionnaire. In addition, new questions have been added on mental health, marijuana and e-cigarette use.

New Studies Underway

Cancer DNA Screening Pilot Study (CANDACE) led by Dr. Alan Nichol, BC Cancer Agency: A study to determine whether it is possible to detect early signs of cancer through a simple blood test, which uses blood samples to identify mutations in genes that are associated with the development and progression of cancer.

Predicting Cancer Susceptibility via Immune Status Study led by Dr. Gerry Krystal, BC Cancer Agency: A study to determine the influence of a person’s body mass index (BMI) and smoking on their immune status, including their ability to fight off bacterial and viral infections. This study will provide insights into the relationship between weight/smoking and immune functions.

Smoking cessation after cancer diagnosis study led by Dr. John Spinelli, BC Cancer Agency: Quitting smoking at any time is good for your health. Using the BC Generations Project dataset, this study will examine whether people change their smoking behaviours after a cancer diagnosis. The findings will be used to improve patient management and care.

Association between eczema and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity study led by Dr. Aaron Drucker, Brown University (US): This study is using data from the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project (which includes the BC Generations Project) to investigate whether having eczema makes people more likely to develop high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks or strokes.

For more information, visit our Impact section at bcgenerationsproject.ca

Have You Completed Your Follow-Up Health & Lifestyle Questionnaire?

As of January 31, 2017 68% of study participants have completed the Follow-Up Questionnaire. Thank you for your support! A gentle reminder to please complete the questionnaire if you haven’t already done so. If you have questions or you need help, please call 604.675.8221 (toll free 1.877.675.8221) or email bcgenerationsproject@bccrc.ca

The Places You Call Home

Approximately 22,000 of our participants responded to last year’s Residential History Questionnaire, giving details about all of the residences they have lived in during their lifetime. This information has been added to our data collection to support studies into how environmental exposures affect disease risk. Thanks for helping the BC Generations Project become a richer resource for disease prevention research!

Welcome To New Project Leaders

The BC Generations Project is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Nhu Le (left) and Dr. Trevor Dummer to co-lead the project going forward. Read more about these two respected scientists atbcgenerationsproject.ca

Our Thanks To Dr. John Spinelli

After five years at the helm of the BC Generations Project, Dr. John Spinelli has moved on and into the role of Vice President, Population Oncology at the BC Cancer Agency. As the former Principal Investigator of the Project, Dr. Spinelli played an essential role in leading recruitment and sample collection. He continues to be involved with the Project as a researcher; read about John’s latest study on the left.

Don’t lose touch

If you’re planning to move or change your email address, please let us know by sending your new contact details tobcgenupdate@bccrc.ca or calling 604.675.8221 (toll free 1.877.675.8221).