World famous Dunedin study focus of exhibition

Dunedin (Thursday, 10 March 2016) – They are some of Dunedin’s most famous residents, even if we don’t know who they are.

In 1975, health researchers from the University of Otago began studying a group of 1037 children born in Dunedin in 1972 and 1973. This was the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (known as the Dunedin Study) and participants have regularly returned over the past four decades for assessments that investigate health and development factors. This study has become renowned as one of the most significant projects of its kind in the world.

On Saturday, March 19, the Slice of Life exhibition, focusing on the Dunedin Study, will open at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum.

Museum Curator Seán Brosnahan says, “The study’s research across a variety of sectors, including health, education, social development and justice, has resulted in significant findings that have changed thinking and laws in New Zealand and across the globe.”

Museum Visitor Experience Manager Kirsty Glengarry says, “Visitors will be able to discover some of the key scientific findings from the study, as well as explore the social context of this age group through the decades.

“As part of the exhibition, there will be a 1970s lounge featuring elements of early childhood and primary school, the 1980s bedroom will focus on the teenage years, the 1990s set will mimic a student flat of that era and the lounge from the following decade will reflect the time of buying a house and having a family.”

Study Cohort and Assessment Manager Sean Hogan says, “The 1972-73 babies are about to be assessed again as they reach middle age. This year, we will begin a project lasting three years to carry out brain scans of the group in Dunedin, looking at the structure of mid-life brains and how they function, to spot the earliest signs of ageing in the brain.

“In 2017, as the participants start to reach 45, we will be calling back all study members from around the corner and from around the world, to carry out a full day of clinical testing. This will cover all aspects of life from health issues to work, finances and relationships.”

The exhibition will run until 27 March next year.

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