The Sax Institute launched an Australian study to follow adult relatives of existing participants over time, aiming to build long-term evidence on health patterns among younger generations.
The 18 and Up project plans to invite adults aged 18 and older who are family members of participants in the institute’s 45 and Up Study. Recruitment is due to start in November 2026. Researchers plan to pair surveys with linked health records to examine how family background, personal experience and social conditions relate to health.
The initial focus will be mental health and wellbeing, the institute says. Adjunct Professor Justine Gatt, the study’s scientific director, said researchers will ask about “coping, connecting and thriving.”
Public descriptions give different figures for the study’s planned reach. The Guardian reported a target of 100,000 people aged 18 to 45. The Sax Institute’s launch announcement refers to hundreds of thousands across generations, while an August 2025 position description says the study will include more than 300,000 Australians aged 18 and older. The descriptions do not explain how the figures relate.
National health data provide context for the study. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that 38.8% of Australians aged 16 to 24 — about 1.1 million people — experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months during the 2020–2022 survey period. Cancer Australia estimated 18,600 early-onset cancer cases among Australians aged 20 to 49 in 2025, equal to 11% of all new cases. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) estimates cancer incidence among people aged 30 to 39 rose from 121 cases per 100,000 in 2000 to an estimated 135 in 2025, with colorectal and thyroid cancers driving the increase.
Tender Tracker’s listing of government procurement data shows Cancer Australia contracted the Sax Institute to develop a cancer-specific survey module. The listing gives the contract a current value of A$68,000 for the period from Feb. 23, 2026, to June 29, 2027, but does not say when the module will be used. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) lists A$4,512,965.40 for the study among grants recommended to start in 2025.
The 18 and Up project follows the 45 and Up Study, which began in 2005 and has recruited more than 267,000 people. The Sax Institute says the new study addresses a shortage of long-term evidence about younger Australians, and its findings may support decisions on prevention, health services and policy. The institute plans to confirm final eligibility details closer to recruitment in November 2026.
