Back in 1968, 8583 Tasmanian school children were recruited into what is now the world’s largest and longest running study of asthma and respiratory health - The Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study (TAHS).
One participant has a vivid recollection of “standing in line at Punchbowl Primary School in my bloomers and singlet blowing into a tube which looked like a hairdryer.”
The multi-collaboration study has followed these participants from the age of seven via health questionnaires and lung function tests for 55 years.
So far, the data collected has informed over 80 research articles and 140 conference presentations, influencing new scientific knowledge, clinical practice and Australian policy around respiratory health.