Generations Study Population, Data and Biospecimens

Participants in the Generations Study provide data through questionnaires and most provided a baseline blood sample to study genetics and other biomarkers. A subset of participants have worn physical activity monitors (for 8 days at a time) and some have provided urine samples. Medical data, specimens and imaging is obtained through requests and data linkages to NHS medical records.

At recruitment, half of the cohort were between the ages of 45-64 (49%), with 42% of the cohort younger and 9% older. 43% of the cohort lived in Southern England with 89% of the cohort being from England as a whole. The rest of the cohort lived in Wales (4%), Scotland (7%), and Northern Ireland (1%). Compared to the national population, the cohort has an overrepresentation of women with higher socio-economic status, White ethnicity, and those residing in Southern England. To ensure the applicability of research findings to more diverse populations across the UK, comparisons with national data and other cohorts are conducted.