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. 2013 Feb;42(1):97-110.
doi: 10.1093/ije/dys066. Epub 2012 Apr 16.

Cohort Profile: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: ALSPAC mothers cohort

Abigail Fraser  1 , Corrie Macdonald-Wallis, Kate Tilling, Andy Boyd, Jean Golding, George Davey Smith, John Henderson, John Macleod, Lynn Molloy, Andy Ness, Susan Ring, Scott M Nelson, Debbie A Lawlor
Affiliations

Cohort Profile: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: ALSPAC mothers cohort

Abigail Fraser et al. Int J Epidemiol. 2013 Feb.

Abstract

Summary The Avon Longitudinal Study of Children and Parents (ALSPAC) was established to understand how genetic and environmental characteristics influence health and development in parents and children. All pregnant women resident in a defined area in the South West of England, with an expected date of delivery between 1st April 1991 and 31st December 1992, were eligible and 13761 women (contributing 13867 pregnancies) were recruited. These women have been followed over the last 19-22 years and have completed up to 20 questionnaires, have had detailed data abstracted from their medical records and have information on any cancer diagnoses and deaths through record linkage. A follow-up assessment was completed 17-18 years postnatal at which anthropometry, blood pressure, fat, lean and bone mass and carotid intima media thickness were assessed, and a fasting blood sample taken. The second follow-up clinic, which additionally measures cognitive function, physical capability, physical activity (with accelerometer) and wrist bone architecture, is underway and two further assessments with similar measurements will take place over the next 5 years. There is a detailed biobank that includes DNA, with genome-wide data available on >10000, stored serum and plasma taken repeatedly since pregnancy and other samples; a wide range of data on completed biospecimen assays are available. Details of how to access these data are provided in this cohort profile.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
ALSPAC mother participant flow. aThis number of recruited pregnancies does not include 717 women who completed one early pregnancy questionnaire and then experienced a pregnancy loss prior to 23 weeks. A description of these pregnancies (the miscarriage substudy) is provided in the supplementary web-material available as Supplementary Data at IJE online. bFor some subsequent data collection, additional women who were recruited ∼5–8 years postnatally were included. The description of these additional recruitments is provided in the accompanying cohort profile of index children. For obstetric data abstractions and for the earlier questionnaires only the 13 761 women were eligible. Later questionnaires and invites to the Focus on Mothers clinic assessment were sent to some additional women who were recruited 5–8 years postnatally and so the potential denominator for these is somewhat greater than 13 761 and varies for different questionnaires
Figure 2
Figure 2
ALSPAC mother questionnaire response. The denominator is the number of women who were sent the questionnaire at each time period. This varies from 13 761 at the start of the study to 8512 for more recent questionnaires, as women who have died or requested to be withdrawn from further questionnaires or have a study break are taken into account. A total of 11 264 women remain in contact with the study
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