When COVID-19 emerged in early 2020, researchers, policymakers and health services faced an unprecedented challenge.
While Australia was collecting data on case numbers, hospitalisations and deaths, there were many questions that routine health data alone could not answer. How was the pandemic affecting people’s mental health and wellbeing? Were people delaying healthcare? What factors influenced vaccine uptake and attitudes?
To answer these questions, researchers needed to hear directly from people. The 45 and Up Study was uniquely positioned to help.
Responding to a rapidly changing situation
As Australia’s largest ongoing study of ageing, the 45 and Up Study already had a large and engaged participant community in place when the pandemic began.
Through the COVID Insights Study, researchers surveyed more than 32,000 participants across multiple time points throughout the pandemic, creating a unique resource for understanding how Australians experienced one of the most significant public health events in modern history.
The surveys captured information on topics ranging from healthcare access and telehealth use to mental health, social connection and vaccine attitudes – providing insights that could not be obtained through routine administrative data alone.
Understanding healthcare during a crisis
One of the clearest findings to emerge from COVID-related research using 45 and Up data was the extent to which the pandemic disrupted access to healthcare.
Studies (1, 2) found that many older Australians delayed or missed healthcare appointments during different stages of the pandemic, raising concerns about the longer-term effects on health outcomes.
At the same time, researchers documented increased use and uptake of telehealth services. While telehealth helped maintain access to care for many people, the research also highlighted differences in uptake between population groups, including by health status and geography.
Together, these findings provided valuable insights into how Australians accessed healthcare during the pandemic, including where barriers to care emerged and how new models such as telehealth were used.
Understanding the human impact
Beyond its physical health impacts, COVID-19 affected many aspects of everyday life.
Research using 45 and Up data explored experiences of loneliness, social isolation and psychological distress among older Australians during the pandemic. The findings showed that experiences varied according to factors such as living arrangements and location, helping researchers identify groups who may require additional support during periods of disruption.
The research also provided insights into vaccine attitudes, highlighting the role that factors such as social support can play in shaping health decisions during periods of uncertainty.
Together, these studies reinforced that public health emergencies affect more than physical health alone – they can also have lasting impacts on wellbeing, social connection and community resilience.
Looking to the future
The acute phase of the pandemic may have passed, but the research continues.
Studies using data collected through the COVID Insights Study are still being published, with new findings continuing to emerge years after the height of the pandemic. Together, they are helping researchers better understand the longer-term impacts of COVID-19 on healthcare use, mental health, social connection and healthy ageing.
Because the 45 and Up Study had been collecting information from participants for many years before COVID-19 emerged, researchers can examine not only what happened during the pandemic, but how people’s health, wellbeing and behaviours changed over time.
This ability to track change over the long term is one of the study’s greatest strengths – and means the value of the data continues well beyond the immediate crisis.
As we mark 20 years of the 45 and Up Study, the COVID-19 response stands as a powerful example of how long-term research can help Australia respond to immediate challenges while building knowledge for the future.
And as initiatives like 18 and Up build on this legacy, future generations will help researchers understand and respond to the health challenges still to come.
