Dataset Link: Click Here

Version: 2.0

Update Date: 19 May 2021

DOI: 10.26193/XBF63J

The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) is a longitudinal population-based survey, first funded in 1995, which examines the health of over 57,000 Australian women. The project was designed to explore factors that influence health among women who are broadly representative of the entire Australian population. ALSWH goes beyond a narrow perspective that equates women’s health with reproductive and sexual health, and takes a comprehensive view of all aspects of health throughout women’s lifespan. The first survey was conducted in 1996, and covered three groups, the 1973-1978 cohort, the 1946-1951 cohort, and the 1921-1926 cohort. In 2013, a new cohort of young women, aged 18-23 and known as the 1989-95 cohort, were recruited. Each cohort receives different questionnaires, which vary in the types of questions asked, but in essence cover issues regarding overall physical and emotional health, use of health services, education and employment status, drug and/or alcohol use, diet, exercise, and family situation. A detailed description of the background, aims, themes, methods and progress of the study is given on the project web page https://www.alswh.org.au/about/. This particular dataset refers to Survey 4 of the 1946-1951 cohort and is a part of the Core Data Release. Some data in this data release were modified to maintain the confidentiality of ALSWH respondents.