Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)

Find out how to access CLSA data

Canada is experiencing an unprecedented change in the make-up of its population. By 2036, nearly one in four Canadians will be age 65 or older. With rapid demographic change now underway, there is a critical need for high-quality research on aging as well as strong evidence to support the enhancement of programs, services, policies and care.

The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) was created to enable research that moves beyond a snapshot of the adult Canadian population, and instead, aims to understand and observe the complex interplay between physical, social and psychological determinants of health over time. This source of data and biological samples will inform how Canadians age and the genesis of age-related disorders.

The aim of the CLSA is to find ways to help us live long and live well, and understand why some people age in a healthy fashion while others do not.

Findings from the CLSA research platform will:

• Contribute to the identification of ways to prevent disease and improve health services;
• Develop better understanding of the impact of non-medical factors, such as economic prosperity and social changes, on people as they age;
• Answer questions that are relevant to decision-makers to improve health policy and inform government programs and services;
• Generate new knowledge on many interrelated biological, clinical, psychosocial and societal factors that influence disease, health and well-being; and
• Develop Canadian research capacity and train future generations of researchers who will use the CLSA data and infrastructure to explore previously unimagined areas of research on aging.

Date modified:

2022-09-26