It may be a long time coming.
However researchers hope The BC Generations Project will one day give them answers and help them learn more about how environment, lifestyle and genetic factors contribute to cancer and chronic diseases.
A temporary assessment clinic for the project opened in Prince George this month for participants who want to help by providing their health information and biospecimens for cancer studies.
They will also learn about their own health.
“In B.C. our goal is to have 40,000 people take part,” said Dr. John Spinelli, BC Cancer Agency’s head of cancer control research. “The health information and biological samples will be compiled to give us a large pool from which to answer questions. You need certain numbers in order to answer questions, so you need to start with a large group. Results from these studies will be a critical to guide future disease prevention programs.“
BC is one of five provinces taking part in the national Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project.
Spinelli said the information provided is kept anonymous and participation in the project can have benefits.
“The national goal is to have 300,000 Canadian adults in the research project which is the largest of its kind in the country. This is an opportunity for us – our generation – to help reduce the occurrence of cancer and chronic disease in the future. I think that resonates with people.”
Participants will learn about their own health habits (how long do they spend sitting, not exercising, each day) and indicators such as blood pressure, weight, bone density and body fat.
“We chose an age range of 35 to 69 for participants because we will be following them up for the next 25 years. It would take longer (for answers) with a younger group. The information given is anonymous.”
BC Cancer Foundation has partnered with the agency on the project.
“As the largest funder of cancer research in the province, we are proud to support this great initiative,” said BC Cancer Foundation vice-president Lou Del Gobbo, who was on site at the clinic Tuesday.
The Prince George assessment clinic is located at 1777 Third Ave. Suite 300 and will be open for intake until July 9. People can also participate through a mail-in survey and giving samples at clinics in their area.
The BC Generations Project is a BC Cancer Agency project, funded by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and the BC Cancer Foundation.
For more info, visit www.bcgenerations project.ca.