The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC):

Children of the 90s

Study Description

KEY FEATURES

• Population based

• Geographically defined

• Recruited during pregnancy

• Detailed follow-up, including hands-on measures

• Linked biological samples

• All pregnant women resident in Avon

• Expected date of delivery 1.4.91-31.12.92

• Recruited through antenatal clinics

RECRUITMENT

• 14,541 pregnancies (14,472 outcome known)

• 14,676 fetuses 14,062 live births

• 13,988 children alive at 1 year

• 542 children added at age 7 years

• 10% sample (Children in Focus) attended clinics 4 months - 5 years (n = 1,432)

ALSPAC Avon Rest of UK

Owner-occupier 79.1 68.7 63.4

1+ person per room 33.5 26.0 30.8

Car in household 90.8 83.7 75.6

Married couple 79.4 71.7 71.8

Non-white mother 2.2 4.1 7.6

0%

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60%

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-10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Age of child (months)

Cohort retention

DATA - QUESTIONNAIRES

• Questionnaires to:Mother about herself

Mother’s partner

Mother about Child

• 4 questionnaires to mother in pregnancy

• 6 months after birth and annual thereafter

DATA – HANDS-ON

• Children in Focus – 4m-5y

• Whole cohort – Annual clinics 7-15 years

• Current status – 17 year clinic running

• Multifaceted study of health, development and disease of children

FOCUS AT 7• Eight sessions of 20 min• Total clinic 2h 40min• Measures based on

scientific priority (& cost)

• 17+ clinic c.£3m

BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES• DNA maternal, cord & 7y venous blood;

transformed cell lines in progress– DNA 10,000 mothers and children– C. 1,000 partners– Aim for 6,000 trios at end of current programme

• Blood (most <5 y gone); later fasting blood for metabolic studies

• Placentae, hair, teeth, urine (cotinine @ 8y and 15y)

ENVIRONMENT

• Mostly questionnaire based; but dating back to pregnancy

• Some small validation studies (NO2, salivary cortisols, etc.)

• Modelling pollution exposures• Strengths: Diet (FFQ & diaries); Smoking;

Pollution; Activity and body mass (accelerometers & DXA scans @ 9, 11, 13 years)

ASTHMA & ALLERGY

• Questionnaire data on wheezing, asthma, eczema & hay fever from 6m-17y

• Skin exam for eczema @ 5y (CiF) & 7y

• SPTs and total serum IgE @ 7y

• Spiro & BR methacholine @ 8y

• Spiro & FeNO & BD reversibility @ 15y

GWAS – CURRENT STATUS

• 1,400 samples Illumina 317k (WTCCC)• 1,250 asthma case:control Illumina 610k

(GABRIEL II)• Expect asthma candidates on c.7,000

(GABRIEL Phase III)• Applying for genome wide typing of whole

cohort (?????)

http://www.bris.ac.uk/alspac