Hosted by the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, Healthy Future Sask is a population health research study that aims to answer questions about the causes of cancer and chronic disease by following the health of Saskatchewan residents for up to 50 years.
Healthy Future Sask is looking to engage with more than 7000 Saskatchewan residents between the ages of 30 and 74 to participate in the study. Participants will be asked to complete a health and lifestyle questionnaire, donate a biological sample (for example, blood or saliva), and have physical measurements taken on more than one occasion throughout the study. The information provided by volunteer participants will help researchers find out how lifestyle, genetics, and environment influence the health of future generations to come, helping us understand and potentially change tomorrow’s health together.
Collecting data from participants over time will help unlock answers that have the potential to improve the future health of our communities. For example, can cancer and other serious illnesses be detected earlier? How can we improve our health and the health of our children and grandchildren? What illness is the result of genetics, and what choices can we make to prevent disease? What can we do together to improve health outcomes and build healthier communities?
Healthy Future Sask is part of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health, CanPath, the largest chronic disease research project in Canadian history. To support this important project, the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency receives funding from CanPath to develop the provincial cohort and join the national study. This national study investigates how genetics, the environment, lifestyle, and behavior contribute to the development of chronic diseases. CanPath is following the health of over 330,000 people in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada. Together we will collect and connect valuable health data with researchers across the country for a healthy future.