Children of the 90s

22/08/2025

Be proud of being a Child of the 90s! 🎈

By taking part in research, you're directly helping our knowledge grow, improving the health of future generations 🫶

Thank you to everyone who has taken part over the years - we appreciate you a lot!

If you were born in or around Bristol, Weston-super-Mare or South Glos between 1991 and 1992, you could be part of the Children of the 90s health study – and so could your children! 👶

Find out more here: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/participants/our-participants/coco90s/

22/08/2025

19/08/2025

Heavy and painful periods linked to lower GCSE grades and attendance 🏫

With GCSE results released this week, and their potential significance, are there any factors that could affect how well students perform?

A new study from University of Bristol has found that heavy periods and period pain in teenage girls are linked to lower GCSE grades and more time off school.

“More education and support may help improve the menstrual health of adolescents and reduce inequalities in education outcomes." - Gemma Sawyer, PhD researcher

Full story below:

https://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/news/2025/periods-gcse-results.html

14/08/2025

Did you see our news about obesity research a few weeks ago? 📃

Scientists have developed a new tool to identify children who are at risk of developing obesity in adulthood.

Children of the 90s data was used to test the score - and showed it was twice as effective as the previous best method of predicting a person's risk of obesity.

Learn more here: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/news/2025/new-genetic-analysis-predicts-risk-of-adult-obesity-from-childhood.html

12/08/2025

Meet Sky and little Winnie 👋

They're part of our Children of the Children of the 90s (COCOs) program, helping us to understand more about health and wellbeing in the next generation. There are now over 2,700 COCOs in the study, aged from 0-16.

Could you be a part of it? To find out more please call or text COCO90WEB with your name and date of birth to 07772 102649 or you can request a call by emailing: coco90s@childrenofthe90s.ac.uk.

07/08/2025

We loved seeing Emmie last week for her pregnancy visit! She's due to welcome her third child in the autumn 🍂

Pregnancy is such a unique period for your health, so we're always keen to check in with our original Children of the 90s, or their partners, at this time.

Pregnancy visits include:
📏 height
🩸 blood pressure
⚖️ weight

& more…but of course it's all optional, and you can choose what you do!

Get in touch with us to book in at coco90s@childrenofthe90s.ac.uk 📩

05/08/2025

At Children of the 90s (also known as ALSPAC), our research is carefully overseen by different groups including experts and, in some cases, participants.

One of these is the ALSPAC Board, which meets twice a year to review and guide the study’s activities.

We're looking for a participant to join this important group to share their experiences and views on the study’s research.

To apply, you must have previous board experience, but this doesn’t need to be connected to research or science. An enthusiasm and commitment to Children of the 90s are also essential.

To find out more and apply, please email info@childrenofthe90s.ac.uk, briefly explaining why you’d like to join and what you can bring to the role by Friday 29th August

Find out more about the ALSPAC board here: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/alspac/documents/governance/ALSPAC%20Board%20Terms%20of%20Reference%2003%2023%20v5.3_FINAL.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawL-mtNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE3d1J0MDVQTEQwSER2dU5HAR5uhb2LQ8oFRdCvhjR4jFMltT-zyR9FYPOMmFsvJ5L8zckCN89Qigld4byXbw_aem_l-wPc2h6wfbKz4Ol_Z1xjw

04/08/2025

🎥 Tune in to BBC The One Show to learn how Children of the 90s (ALSPAC) researchers and its participants are making a real difference to health through a screening programme designed to detect the early signs of liver damage.

📺Watch the full segment on BBC iPlayer👉http://bit.ly/4mexubo

👇 Here’s some more facts about Children of the 90s:

✅ In the early '90s, cot death (SIDS) claimed up to 2,000 UK babies/year. Children of the 90s data was able to show that it was safe for babies to sleep on their back, supporting the “Back to Sleep” campaign and saving 100,000+ lives worldwide.
✅ From just under 15,000 pregnant women in 1991–92… CO90s has now grown to 34,000+ participants across 3 generations.
✅ CO90s @30 clinic is the largest health data collection of its kind with🔬 7,000+ participants.
✅ 📚 3,000+ research papers have been published using their data
✅ 1,000+ researchers worldwide use their data.

31/07/2025

Children of the 90s was on The One Show last night! 🥳

The show tells the story of the study through two wonderful mum and daughter duos, Vanessa & Amanda and Sophie & Kate. With the daughters now planning their families, they're excited to sign up their children to the study too! 👶

It also tells Sam's story, a Bristol resident who reversed his liver condition and lost 8 stone in part due to findings from the Children of the 90s study. It's incredible to see the impact our research findings have had on real people.

Thank you to all involved, as well as all of our participants over the years - we couldn’t do it without you! 👏

If you were born in the greater Bristol area between 1991-92, you could be part of the study - and so could your children!

To find out more please call or text COCO90WEB with your name and date of birth to 07772 102649 or you can request a call by emailing: coco90s@childrenofthe90s.ac.uk.

University of Bristol Bristol City Council

25/07/2025

✨UPDATE! We're on The One Show!✨

Children of the 90s will feature on The One Show on Wednesday (30th July) at 7pm on BBC 1 - featuring our very own Professor Nic Timpson 🎬

We will be sharing the recording next week so don't worry if you can't catch it live! 🥰

The One Show

23/07/2025

💡New Children of the 90s research: Genetic analysis of 5.1 million individuals predicts risk of adult obesity from childhood.

Analysing genes at a young age could support early strategies to prevent obesity in later life, according to a new paper published in Nature Portfolio Medicine today.

The research looked at genetic information from over 5 million individuals and developed a 'polygenic risk score' (PGS) which is reliably associated with adulthood obesity.

Children of the 90s data was used in the research to test the score. It found that the new PGS was twice as effective as the previous best method of predicting a person's risk of obesity.

Read about the research here 🔗 https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/obesity-people-children-bristol-copenhagen-b1239200.html

17/07/2025

From Weston-super-Mare to Switzerland - and back (to visit us!) 🇨🇭

We recently welcomed Bernice to one of our Focus on Mother clinics - all the way from Switzerland.

Bernice was a health visitor in the 90s and helped recruit some of our original mothers - as well as being an original mother herself!

After moving to Switzerland 30 years ago, Bernice and her daughter still make the trip back to visit Children of the 90s - and we couldn't be more grateful 🥰