RECORD LINKAGE

Periodically, information about participants may be collected by Cancer Council Victoria from their records held by various service providers. We also collect information about participants from other organisations to update and verify our records without needing to contact them too often. Obtaining this information will help us to track participants’ ongoing health status. With consent, organisations we may contact include

• Hospital medical records departments
• State and Territory Cancer Registries
• The Australian Cancer Database
• The National Death Index
• The Australian Electoral Commission
• Other health databases, both public and private

ACTIVE FOLLOW UP

From early 2019, we will begin the first round of follow-up of all participants who completed the questionnaires. Follow up will proceed on a rolling basis over 2019 to 2021, linked to each participant’s year of completing the study, so that each participant is followed up approximately 3 years following study participation.

Each participant will be asked to complete two online questionnaires.  Some of the questions will update information and some will ask about topics not previously covered.

• The first questionnaire is titled “Health and Activities” and includes questions about your general health, body size, smoking, diabetes, sun exposure and daily activities.
• The second questionnaire is titled “Beverages” and includes questions about the consumption of all types of beverage including alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic drinks (water, dairy and non- dairy milks, soft-drink, coffee, tea).

Please let us know if your contact details change so we can keep in touch.