The ALSWH is a national, longitudinal, population-based study exploring factors that influence health among women who are broadly representative of the entire Australian population. ALSWH has recruited more than 57,000 women in four age cohorts since 1996. The 1921–26 cohort was recruited through random selection from all women in the Australian Medicare database who were born between 1921 and 1926. Close to 12,500 participants aged between 70 and 75 were recruited and completed their first survey in 1996.