Thiruchelvam, Kaeshaelya http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3754-1690
Byles, Julie http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3984-6877
Hasan, Syed Shahzad http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4058-2215
Egan, Nicholas http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0854-7444
Kairuz, Therese http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3311-187X
Article History
Received: 10 November 2020
Accepted: 3 December 2020
First Online: 15 January 2021
Compliance with ethical standards
:
: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
: The ALSWH has ongoing ethical approval from the University of Queensland (UQ) (reference 2004000224) and the University of Newcastle (UoN) (reference H-076–0795) Human Research Ethics Committees (HREC), and also for the health record linkage (UQ: reference 2012000132 and UoN: reference H-2011–0371). Our study was approved by the ALSWH Data Access Committee. Access to national data collections was approved by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare HREC (reference EC2012/1/12).
: For the linked data (PBS), ALSWH participants who decline health record linkage are excluded from linked data requests. Over 80 percent of all ALSWH participants have explicitly consented to record linkage. Since 2005, the responsible Human Research Ethics Committees have approved opt-out consent; in addition, a waiver applies to unconsented participants who were deceased or lost to follow up before 2005.
: For the ALSWH survey data, all participants consented to joining the study and are free to withdraw or suspend their participation at any time with no need to provide a reason.