April 7 is World Health Day and this year’s theme is ‘Our Planet, Our Health.’ In celebration of creating a healthier tomorrow, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) is drawing attention to CLSA research that explores healthy communities and the factors associated with aging well.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and an increasing incidence of chronic disease, the 2022 theme for World Health Day is meant to emphasize the need for a green and healthy recovery that puts the health of all individuals and the planet at the centre and fosters a movement to create societies focused on well-being. The following CLSA studies, focused on the well-being of older adults and their environment, are instrumental to improve understanding of what is needed to build healthy, age-friendly societies:

Webinars:

• Dr. Daniel Gan, Environmental Influences on Mental Health: Path Analysis for Contextual Implementation
• Dr. Jeffrey Brook, Dr. Eleanor Setton, and Dany Doiron, Enriching the CLSA with environmental exposure data: The Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE)
• Dr. Verena Menec, Age Supportive Environments and Healthy Aging

Publications:

• Abraham Cottagiri S, Villeneuve PJ, Raina P, Griffith LE, Rainham D, Dales R, Peters CE, Ross NA, Crouse DL. Increased urban greenness associated with improved mental health among middle-aged and older adults of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Environ Res. 2022 Apr 15;206:112587.
• Klicnik I, Cullen JD, Doiron D, Barakat C, Ardern CI, Rudoler D, Dogra S. Leisure sedentary time and physical activity are higher in neighbourhoods with denser greenness and better built environments: An analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2022 Mar;47(3):278-286.
• Gan DRY, Wister AV, Best JR. Environmental Influences on Life Satisfaction and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults with Multimorbidity: Path Analysis Through Loneliness in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Gerontologist. 2022 Jan 16:gnac004.
• St John PD, Menec V, Tate R, Newall NE, Cloutier D, O'Connell M. Depressive symptoms in adults in rural and urban regions of Canada: a cross-sectional analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. BMJ Open. 2021 Dec 3;11(12):e048090.
• Clark K, John PS, Menec V, Cloutier D, Newall N, O'Connell M, Tate R. Healthcare utilisation among Canadian adults in rural and urban areas - The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Can J Rural Med. 2021 Apr-Jun;26(2):69-79.
• Beenackers MA, Doiron D, Fortier I, Noordzij JM, Reinhard E, Courtin E, Bobak M, Chaix B, Costa G, Dapp U, Diez Roux AV, Huisman M, Grundy EM, Krokstad S, Martikainen P, Raina P, Avendano M, van Lenthe FJ. MINDMAP: establishing an integrated database infrastructure for research in ageing, mental well-being, and the urban environment. BMC Public Health. 2018 Jan 19;18(1):158.
• Ma J, Thabane L, Beyene J, Raina P. Power Analysis for Population-Based Longitudinal Studies Investigating Gene-Environment Interactions in Chronic Diseases: A Simulation Study. PLoS One. 2016 Feb 22;11(2):e0149940.