Effects of social isolation highlighted in national aging study
This year marks the half-way point of a major 20-year Canada-wide study on the complexities of the aging process. Since it was launched in 2015, Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) has seen over 300 studies published using its data, including from researchers at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.
Dr. Cara Brown, principal investigator for the Manitoba piece of the CLSA, said some of the most influential publications so far have been about loneliness and social isolation. Studies using CLSA data have described exactly who is at risk of social isolation and loneliness, and identified protective factors, like volunteering and urban greenness.
“There’s been a big emphasis on physical activity for the last 30 to 40 years, and now we’re seeing that social engagement is an important piece of the picture. We all learned that through the pandemic, and we are really able to show that evidence with the CLSA.”
An associate professor of occupational therapy at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Brown has been working with the study for three years, moving into the principal investigator role in 2024 following the retirement of Dr. Verena Menec, professor emerita at the Max Rady College of Medicine.
“Verena was very passionate about how important it was for Manitoba to be a part of this study. As a sociologist, she shaped how data is being collected about social isolation and loneliness that is paving the way for groundbreaking findings on this topic.”
The CLSA follows 51,338 individuals who were between the ages of 45 and 85 years at its start from across all 10 provinces. UM has played a major role, hosting one of 11 data collection sites and four telephone interview sites located across Canada.
In Manitoba, the data collection site is at Deer Lodge Centre and 3,000 individuals come for a wide variety of in-person testing every three years. “The vision of the study is to follow people as they age so we can learn how to age well and stay healthy as we age,” Brown said.
Nationally, about 30,000 participants visit data collection sites for physical examinations and biological specimen collection including bone scans, cardiac tests, mobility and cognitive tests. Participants also provide in-depth information through questionnaires either at the data collection site or in their homes.
The remaining 21,000 participants are part of a “tracking cohort” and provide information via questionnaires only.
“We collect data from them solely through phone interviews that include questions on their social participation and their health,” Brown said. “We can even do some cognitive testing over the phone.”
Published studies using CLSA data also include some led by Ruth Barclay, professor of physical therapy at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, and Philip St. John, professor of internal medicine at the Max Rady College of Medicine and medical director of the CLSA Manitoba data collection site.
“This data is collected for the good of researchers everywhere,” Brown said. “It is put in a central location, and researchers can go online and learn what’s available, and then they make a request for data access.”
Since the CLSA began, UM has hired 86 students as research assistants at the data collection sites.
Olivia Bjornson, a UM bachelor of science student, has been working for the CLSA since 2022, interviewing participants in their homes.
“I’ve interviewed a lot of people, maybe over 1,000. I’ve even had some that I’ve gone back to, because I’ve been here for three years, and they remember me. It’s nice to see how they’re doing,” she said.
Bjornson said the interviews take about 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the participant’s answers and their hearing and cognitive abilities.
The work has made her consider pursuing a career in health care after she completes her science degree.
“It’s given me a really good perspective and outlook on life. I was originally thinking of working in physiotherapy or occupational therapy, but I also really like working with older people and managing schedules, so maybe something more on the management side of health care,” she said.