About Us
Overview
The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health & Development Research Unit (DMHDRU) runs the ongoing Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (also known as the Dunedin Study), which has been going for nearly 40 years.
Dunedin Study Members are the 1037 babies born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between 1 April 1972 and 31 March 1973 at the Queen Mary Maternity Hospital.
Of those 1037 babies, 535 were boys, 502 were girls, 1013 singletons and 24 twins. 1014 of the original cohort are still alive today.
The babies were first followed up at the age of 3, and then at 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 21, 26 and 32. Future assessments are scheduled for age 38 (2010-2012), 44 and on into the future as Study Members have their own families, age, and retire.
During an "assessment phase", the Study Members come back to the Dunedin research unit for a one-day assessment from wherever in the world they are living - an impressive exercise considering more than 50 of them now live in the UK alone! Once in Dunedin, almost all aspects of their physical and mental health are examined - this includes cardiovascular, dental and mental health, psychological well-being, and detailed interviews about relationships, behaviour and family.
Sub-studies of the Dunedin Study include the Family Health History Study (2003-2005) which involved the parents of the Study Members, and two on-going studies - the Parenting Study (of Study Members who are parenting a 3-year-old pre-schooler) and the Next Generation Study (of the 15-year-old teenagers whom Study Members are parenting). These studies will give unprecedented and ground-breaking information covering three generations of the same families.
Over 1100 publications (this section is currenly under construction), including journal articles, book chapters, monographs and other reports, have come out of the Dunedin Study since its inception. In addition, findings from the Dunedin Study have (and will continue to) influenced family, child and public health policies overseas and in New Zealand.