About the Study

What is the Joondalup Family Health Study?

The study will essentially be a contemporary, metropolitan version of the highly successful Busselton Health Study. A health survey is currently being conducted in the town of Busselton and is the ninth such survey since 1966.

The Joondalup Family Health Study will build on the experience of the Busselton Health Study, which has provided 30 years of population-based health data and has led to improved health outcomes in a number of chronic diseases such as asthma and cardiovascular disease. The planned study will also have a strong focus on families and the health of both children and adults.

Who is running the Joondalup Family Health Study?

A team of medical researchers from the following organisations are currently in the planning stages of the JFHS:

• WAIMR Laboratory for Genetic Epidemiology
• Western Australian Institute for Medical Research
• The University of Western Australia - Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences
• Edith Cowan University
• Curtin university of Technology
• Joondalup Health Campus
• Vario Health Institute
• Department of Health
• Australian Medical Association (WA)
• The City of Joondalup
• Scitech
• Lions Eye Institute
• Ear Science Institute Australia
• Association for the Blind of WA
• Women and Infants Research Foundation
• Diabetes Australia WA
• Women's and Children's Health Service WA
• The McCusker Foundation
• Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
• Royal Perth Hospital
• Fremantle Hospital & Health Service

We are also delighted to welcome Dr Fiona Wood as the JFHS Medical Patron. In addition to being the Director of the Western Australian Burns Service, Fiona is the Chairman of The McComb Foundation, established in 1999 with scientist Marie Stoner.

What sort of things will be studied?

A questionnaire regarding lifestyle and diet, together with physical measures of lung function, cardiovascular function, height, weight and potentially other measures would be collected from volunteer participants. Individuals who volunteer to participate in the study would also be asked for consent for a blood sample to be taken. The blood samples would be stored so that they could be used for biochemical and genetic analysis in the future.