Our Data Collection Sites are fully accessible and will accommodate your wheelchair. We do not supply wheelchairs, so if you need assistance walking, please bring the assistive device that you need with you. We will not ask you to undergo any tests that will cause you difficulty.
There are 11 Data Collection Sites across the country. Find your Data Collection Site under Contact Us.
A typical visit to a Data Collection Site lasts approximately 3 hours.
The following physical test results and measurements will be returned to you following a visit to the Data Collection Site:
- Height
- Weight
- Blood Pressure
- Hearing
- Vision
- Body Mass Index
- Waist-to-Hip Ratio
- Lung Capacity
- Bone Fracture Risk – FRAX
It is important that you understand that your visit to a CLSA Data Collection Site does not replace a visit to your doctor or other health-care provider. Results will not be sent to your doctor or other healthcare provider by the CLSA.
If you have to reschedule an appointment, please call your Data Collection Site or email us at info@clsa-elcv.ca.
Telephone number for all the Data Collection Sites can be found under Contact Us.
Simply speaking, these samples will be used to measure how your body is working and how it changes over time. For example, your white blood cell count can be measured in your blood and allows researchers to understand the body’s potential to fight infection.
Because genes are thought to play an important part in how we age, your blood samples and the cells within them will be used to learn about the role of genes in health, disease and aging.
Results of blood, urine and stool tests (including genetic tests) will be used for research purposes only.
If you agree to give a blood and urine sample, you will need to provide about 50 mL (about 3 tablespoons) blood sample and provide a 10 mL urine sample during your visit to the Data Collection Site.
If you agree to provide a stool sample, you will be given a self-collection kit at your in-home interview and asked to return the sample at your Data Collection Site visit. Participants will be asked to provide a sample once every three years.
The samples will be labelled with a unique study number, not your name, at the time of collection.
They will be stored in special storage tanks to protect them for a long period of time for future analyses. These tanks are kept in a secure space at McMaster University that is electronically monitored 24 hours a day. These samples are labelled with a unique code and no identifiable information is recorded on the tube.
Providing samples is optional, but is very important to the overall understanding of healthy aging. You may opt out of providing samples and still participate in the study.
If any of the physical test results and measurements returned to you are outside of what is considered to be a normal range, you will be advised on the report you receive from the Data Collection Site and it will be recommended that you visit your doctor or other health-care provider to verify and discuss the information.
It is important that you understand that the tests conducted are for research purposes only, and the data have not yet been checked for quality or interpreted.