COHORT DESCRIPTION:
Dunedin Study Participants
Participants are members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (“Dunedin Study”), a longitudinal investigation of health and behaviour in a population-representative birth cohort of 1,037 individuals (91% of eligible births; 52% male) born between 1 April 1972 and 31 March 1973 in Dunedin, New Zealand. The longitudinal study was established at age 3 years based on residence in the province [23, 24]. Assessments were conducted at birth and at ages 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 21, 26, 32, 38, and at age 45, when 94% of the 997 participants still alive took part. [if using ph52 data, replace with and most recently at age 52, when 92% of the NNN participants still alive took part.”] Each study member was brought to the research unit for a day of interviews and examinations. MRI scans were completed for 93% of eligible age-45 participants. The cohort represents the full range of socioeconomic status on NZ’s South Island, and as adults matches the NZ National Health and Nutrition Survey on adult health indicators (e.g. body mass index (BMI), smoking, physical activity, general-practitioner visits) [25] and matches the NZ Census on educational attainment [26]. The Study members assessed at age 45 retain the population representativeness of the full cohort (Supplemental Figure SX-SY). At each assessment, Study members were brought to the Dunedin Study Research Unit at the University of Otago for interviews and examinations. In addition, staff provided standardized ratings, informant questionnaires were sent to people who the Study members nominated as people who knew them well, and administrative records were searched. Study participants are primarily of New Zealand European ethnicity; 8.6% reported Māori ethnicity at age 45. Written informed consent was obtained from participants, and the study was approved by the New Zealand Health and Disability Ethics Committee (NZ-HDEC) and Duke University Campus IRB.
FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
DUNEDIN STUDY ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS SECTION TEMPLATE
updated for June 2026
Ethics: If your data are only up to phase 45, this should read: The Dunedin Study was approved by the Health and Disability Ethics Committee, Ministry of Health, New Zealand. Participants gave written informed consent.
For Phase 52 data: The Dunedin Study is approved by the University of Otago Ethics Committee.
This research received support from:
US-NIA R01AG032282 (funding for 45 and 52; please cite in all papers),
The UK Medical Research Council MR/X021149/1 (funding for phase 52, cite in all papers),
Author X was supported by [name, name, your own funding sources here, if you don’t know ask somebody],
The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit is supported by the New Zealand Health Research Council (Programme Grant 16-604),
And by the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment.
Grants you might also acknowledge, depending on the nature of the paper:
US-NIA R01AG069939 (to study substance use, cite in all papers touching on these topics)
US-NIA R01AG073207 (funding for the Pace of Aging, DunedinPACE, and DunedinPACNI; please cite in all papers using these 3 aging measures),
US-NIA R01AG049789: (the brain imaging grant “Neural signatures of healthy and unhealthy aging,” please cite in any papers using IQ, neuropsych test measures, or on brain-related topics).
US-NIA 5P30AG034424 (funding for silicone wristbands for airborne toxins, XRF leg bone metals assessment, and geocoding of SM’s neighborhoods, please cite in all papers using these measures added at Phase 52).
If reporting genomic data: “grant 2016-IDG-1013 from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.”
The Duke Molecular Physiology Institute Molecular Genomics Core generated data.
If using any measures of physical function Duke Aging Center External Research Core P30-AG034424-13S1
If paper includes Intrinsic Capacity: Duke Office of Science and Technology SPARK Grant.
And check with Bernie, Avshalom or Temi if your project involves funding from organisations within Duke such as DuPRI. For example, P30 code 303003300 and P2C code 303003269.
THANK-YOU ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank Dunedin Study members and their families.
We thank Professor Reremoana Theodore, Dunedin Unit Director, [if not a co-author), Unit research staff, [add names of principal investigators who shared data with you, if they are not co-authors], previous Study Director, Emeritus Distinguished Professor, the late Richie Poulton, for his leadership during the Study’s research transition from young adulthood to aging (2000-2023), and Study founder, Dr Phil A. Silva.
The Dunedin Unit is located within the Ngāi Tahu tribal area who we acknowledge as first peoples, tangata whenua (people of this land).
Research assistance was provided by [name, name].
Comments on drafts were provided by [name, name].
For official crime data we thank the Dunedin Police [if you use police data].
EXAMPLE THANK YOU ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank the Dunedin Study members, their families, and friends for their long-term involvement. We thank the Unit research staff, previous Study Director, Emeritus Distinguished Professor, the late Richie Poulton, for his leadership during the Study’s research transition from young adulthood to aging (2000-2023), and the Study founder Dr. Phil A. Silva. The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit is based at the University of Otago within the Ngāi Tahu tribal area, whom we acknowledge as first peoples, tangata whenua (transl. people of this land). We acknowledge the assistance of the Molecular Genomics Core at the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute Molecular Genomics Core, Duke University School of Medicine, for the generation of bio-data used in this project.
EXAMPLE FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit is supported by the New Zealand Health Research Council (grant numbers 16/604, 23/133, and 24/690), and has also received funding from the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment. Funding support was also received from the US National Institute of Aging (grant numbers R01AG073207, R01AG032282, and R01AG049789) and the UK Medical Research Council (grant number MR/X021149/1).
