Midlife milestone in landmark study

Published: 29 September 2026

Dr Charlotte Greer is leading a team carrying out detailed heart assessments as part of a landmark Christchurch study.

A world-renowned study is helping researchers discover what is happening inside the hearts of people as they reach midlife, potentially identifying early signs of heart disease.

The Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) is one of the world's longest-running studies of human development. It has followed 1,265 people born in Christchurch in 1977, collecting information on their health, wellbeing, education, family life, finances and life experiences through around 25 assessments since infancy.

Now, as participants turn 50, Christchurch cardiologist and Heart Foundation project grant recipient Dr Charlotte Greer is leading a team carrying out detailed heart assessments.

Participants will complete questionnaires and undergo tests, including heart ultrasound (echocardiogram), ECGs, blood tests and advanced imaging using Christchurch Hospital's photon-counting CT scanner, supported by Health NZ's Canterbury Radiology service.

This technology provides exceptionally detailed images of the heart, coronary arteries and surrounding tissue.

"The CT and echocardiogram images will allow us to see the structure and function of the heart in detail and, using these alongside ECG and blood tests, will identify markers that might indicate increased future risk of coronary artery disease or heart failure," Charlotte says.

Researchers know a lot about people who have already been diagnosed with heart disease, but much less about the heart health of the wider population, meaning people at risk may be missed until they experience a serious heart event.

Many people who experience a heart attack or develop heart failure have no obvious warning signs.

Charlotte says they will establish, for the first time, what heart health looks like in a group of New Zealanders in midlife, how common early heart abnormalities are, and which markers can best predict who may go on to develop heart disease.

"We'll also investigate how experiences such as stress, financial hardship and difficult childhoods may influence heart health decades later."

By continuing to follow participants over the coming decades, the team hopes to identify early warning signs that could help clinicians recognise people at higher risk before serious illness develops.

"The findings could help identify people at elevated risk before they have a heart attack or other serious event, creating an opportunity for earlier treatment and lifestyle changes that could make a real difference to heart health."

Advanced cardiac imaging can help clinicians see heart disease in greater detail. It may identify changes in the heart muscle and coronary arteries earlier, supporting more accurate diagnosis and better-targeted treatment before a serious heart event occurs.

With decades of detailed information already collected about participants, Heart Foundation Medical Director Dr Gerry Devlin says this research will create a unique resource that could support discoveries about heart disease for generations to come.