Busselton marks 60 years of landmark health study with mobile health-check caravan

In 1966, West Australian doctor Kevin Cullen invited most of Busselton’s adult population to undergo regular health measurements, creating what became one of the world’s longest-running population studies. Over the decades the Busselton Health Study has gathered data from more than 20,000 participants and generated roughly 500 papers that shape guidelines for heart disease, sleep apnoea, diabetes and asthma. To mark its 60th anniversary, the Busselton Population Medical Research Institute converted a caravan into a mobile exhibit, delivering free screenings valued at up to $5,000 across the town.

Volunteers such as Dawn Townsend and Jean Chant share stories of life-saving diagnoses and lasting friendships, while newer residents remain harder to recruit. Director Michael Hunter stresses that the study’s early policy of returning results to participants pioneered preventive health approaches. The outreach aims to draw younger locals into the cohort, securing the study’s continuation for another six decades.