Welcome, Nau mai haere mai
The Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) is a world-renowned longitudinal research project tracking the health, education, and life progress of 1,265 individuals born in the urban area of Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand, in mid-1977.
Our mission is to contribute to the improved health and wellbeing of all Aotearoa New Zealanders.
Since infancy, our cohort has been followed through every stage of life. Over the decades, we’ve produced more than 570 scientific papers, reports, books, and book chapters documenting their journeys.
Our research has led to significant social and policy changes, including:
- Safer domestic swimming pools
- The removal of lead from petrol
- The development of Early Start, a home support service for vulnerable families with young children
We are deeply grateful to our participants for their ongoing generosity, commitment, and trust. Without them, none of this would be possible. We look forward to reconnecting with them for their 50-year assessment.
Use the following links to explore, connect, collaborate with CHDS:
-
1,265Infants Recruited into the Study in 1977
-
570+Peer-Reviewed - Academic Publications
-
49Years of Continuous Participation & Research
-
7Major Research Themes
The CHDS aims to improve health and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand by generating high-quality longitudinal research that informs policy, practice, and understanding of life course development.
We achieve our aims by following the lives of our Study Members over time. Through the generous time and support offered by our Study Members and our funders, we generate world-leading evidence related to the needs and contributing factors for New Zealander's health and wellbeing.
CHDS is a cornerstone of health and wellbeing research in Aotearoa New Zealand, with findings that are widely recognised and drawn on internationally.
Meet the CHDS Team
Our team brings together decades of expertise in psychology, psychiatry, and public health. From researchers to support staff, we are committed to understanding lives over time and translating that knowledge into better outcomes for all New Zealanders.
Featured Publications
We are always analysing our data, interpreting the findings, and communicating the found information, through peer-reviewed academic journal publications, presentations, or other forms of communicating what we have founds. All our publications can be found in OURArchive, the University of Otago's institutional repository.
-
Predictors of early-onset cancer risk: insights from machine learning analyses of the Christchurch Health and Development Study data
Cancers diagnosed at a young age (before turning 40) are becoming more common around the world, and this raising concerns for public health. Rising cancer rates in younger people matter because they affect people for longer, impact families more deeply, and may point to new or previously unrecognised risk factors that need to be understood and addressed.
In this article, the researchers set out to explore whether experiences during pregnancy and early life might influence the risk of developing cancer later on. To do this, researchers used data from CHDS, applying modern data analysis techniques (machine learning) to uncover patterns that might not be visible using statistical methods.
The findings suggested that some factors during pregnancy (such as receiving hospital-based antenatal care, taking vitamins, or using cough medicine), were linked to a higher risk of early-onset cancer, while care provided by a family doctor was linked to a lower risk. These results point to the possibility that early life experiences, including stress during pregnancy, may play a role in shaping cancer risk later in life. However, the findings are not conclusive as the analysis and findings need to be determined in other groups and not just CHDS alone (as a single group of people born in 1977). As such, further research is needed to better understand these links and what they mean.
-
Long-term outcomes associated with adolescent ADHD symptomatology: birth cohort study
Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood is associated with various adverse long-term outcomes.
Aims: We aimed to examine the independent associations between ADHD symptoms at age 14-16 years and long-term mental health and psychosocial functioning outcomes in a 40-year birth cohort study.
Method: Study members from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a population-based New Zealand birth cohort study (N = 1265 at birth) were followed to age 40 years. Generalised estimating equations were used to model associations between ADHD symptoms at age 14-16 years and outcomes at age 18-40. Adjusted models were fitted to account for confounding by antecedent individual and familial risk factors, and coexisting symptoms of conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder.
Results: Adolescents in the highest quartile for ADHD symptoms at age 14-16 years were at elevated risk of substance use disorder, depression, suicidal ideation, criminal offending and unemployment across early adulthood. They also had lower income, home ownership, relationship stability and living standards. The size of these associations attenuated after adjusting for confounding factors and the effect of coexisting conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. However, in adjusted models, ADHD symptoms remained associated with elevated odds of substance use and criminal offending outcomes, with odds ratios ranging from 1.4 to 1.6.
Conclusions: Higher levels of adolescent ADHD symptoms are associated with substance use problems and criminal offending in adulthood. Long-term secondary prevention activities are needed to detect and manage coexisting problems among adults with a history of ADHD.
Funding & Partnerships
Our CHDS research is made possible through the support of our funding partners, whose contributions enable us to advance knowledge and create meaningful impact.
