For scientists working to understand diseases and develop new treatments, access to data is key. Ontario Health Study (OHS) participants have already provided the Study with a wealth of information about their health and lifestyle through the OHS online survey, and in some cases, blood samples and physical measures. Researchers can use this information to uncover the causes of various chronic diseases and to inform further research. Now, OHS participants are being given an opportunity to further help researchers by completing a follow-up questionnaire.

The online questionnaire will be available to the more than 230,000 participants who volunteered to complete the Study’s initial baseline survey. It will be used to track the health of participants and give researchers insight into how and why chronic diseases develop and trends in the health of the population.

“Follow-up questionnaires are critical because, while the baseline questionnaire is a snapshot of a participant’s health at a specific point in time, the follow-ups allow us to see how their health evolves over their lifetime”, says Philip Awadalla, OHS Principal Investigator. “They also provide an opportunity to collect data on newly emerging health issues and priorities, such as eCigarette use and mental health.”

The questionnaire is available to eligible participants who registered and completed the baseline questionnaire more than six months ago. Eligible participants can sign in to their secure OHS account and fill out the questionnaire online, which takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.