Natural History Study Update 2016

The Natural History Study is currently in its 7th year. With your continued interest and support, we have been able to collect valuable information about young adults' substance use, health, and related behaviours over time. Since the first face-to-face interview in 2009, we have completed four follow-up waves of data collection - an online survey in 2009/10, face-to-face interviews at the end of 2010, an online survey in 2011, face-to-face interviews in 2013/14, and another online survey in 2015/16.

Participation in the research has been great and we hope this reflects the good relationship between the study and the research participants. We are appreciative of your commitment, including the time and effort involved in attending interviews and completing surveys. The Natural History Study is the first study of its kind conducted in Australia and is a unique source of information to inform policy. Your contribution is vital to the study's ongoing success.

So what is next for the Natural History Study? We are running an online survey in 2016, which will begin in late September. This upcoming survey will give us a long-term view of behavioural patterns, including motives and consequences of substance use, spanning 7 years!

This is the last round of data collection under the current project, which is funded by the Australian Research Council. The 7 years of data from this study will be invaluable for answering some unresolved questions about long-term patterns of behaviour in early adulthood, such as how people manage certain transitions in life, and how this is affected by external factors.

We understand that your interests and life commitments are likely to have changed since the study began. However, this makes your contribution to the study all the more valuable. The study is focused on the changes and transitions that happen throughout early adulthood.

We will be contacting you shortly with more information regarding the 2016 online survey. If your contact details have change it would be a great help if you could let us know at nhistory@uq.edu.au. As always, your participation is completely voluntary.