What is asked of me as an ABCD participant?
We ask you to participate in the measurement phases. That is now phase 7. You can read more information on phase 7 here.
Why take part in the ABCD study?
You get a gift for every measurement of the ABCD study in which you participate. And your contribution to the ABCD study is incredibly valuable for our research. Every measurement counts. If ABCD participants participate more often, we have more data, and we can do more and better research.
With the data we collected from ABCD participants, we are studying the influence of early life factors on health later on. And how healthy you were at each age. So we understand more about growing up healthy and the effects of factors during pregnancy and infancy on health now.
We will follow you until you are 26. After all, your brain continues to grow until you are 25. And we would like to continue following all your growth and development. So keep participating!
How did I become an ABCD participant?
You are a participant in the ABCD study initially because your mother gave her consent. In 2003, your mother was pregnant with you. For her first consultation, your mother went to the obstetrician in Amsterdam. There, she was invited to participate in phase 1 of the ABCD study. Since that measurement phase, your mother received invitations to participate for each phase of the ABCD study. From 2015 onwards, you also received an invitation. And since 2023, only you receive the invitation.
What have we already asked of you?
Since the start of the ABCD study in 2003, there have been several measurement phases, the latest being phase 7 in 2024. In each of these, we asked your mother, yourself, and/or your father to fill in a questionnaire or do tests. Or if we could measure, for instance, your height and weight, blood pressure, or jumping power. At each measurement phase, we measured different things. Even if you missed previous phases, you can still participate in future measurement phases.