1. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC):Children of the 90s Study Description

2. KEY FEATURES Population based Geographically defined Recruited during pregnancy Detailed follow-up, including hands-on measures Linked biological samples

3. All pregnant women resident in Avon • Expected date of delivery 1.4.91-31.12.92 • Recruited through antenatal clinics

4. 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)

6. 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Cohort retention Age of child (months)

7. 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

8. 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

9. FOCUS AT 7 • Eight sessions of 20 min • Total clinic 2h 40min • Measures based on scientific priority (& cost) • 17+ clinic c.£3m

10. 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)

11. 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)

12. 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

13. 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 (?????)

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