Saguenay Youth Study

The Saguenay Youth Study (SYS) is carried out in a population with a known founder effect, namely in French Canadians living in the Saguenay Lac Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada.

The Saguenay Youth Study (SYS) is a two-generational study of adolescents and their parents (n=1,029 adolescents and 962 parents) aimed at investigating trajectories of cardio-metabolic and brain health. The ultimate goal of this study is to identify effective means for increasing healthy life expectancy.

State-of-the-art tools are used to measure a number of quantitative phenotypes of interest, including structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, abdominal fat and the kidneys, tests of cognitive function (6 hours), and non-invasive and comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular function and obesity (3 hours). Questionnaire-derived measures include life habits, such as diet, physical activity, sleep, sexuality, extra-curricular activities; drug, alcohol use and delinquency (adolescents and their parents); psychiatric symptoms with the DISC predictive scales; personality with the NEO-PI; home and school environment; and academic and vocational attitudes.

The SYS is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec.