FAQs

Healthspan Connect is a new research project dedicated to understanding how we can live longer, healthier lives. We want to know what factors may be important to our health as we age, such as where we live and our lifestyle.

As part of the research project, you will be able to join different studies. Most of these studies will be done online and will involve filling out information using your smartphone, tablet or computer.

For more information and you see how you can get involved, please see Take Part.

You can sign up to Healthspan Connect online, going to Take Part.

You will be asked to read some information about the research project and sign a consent form. If you are aged 12-15 years old, a parent or guardian will also have to complete a consent form to give you permission to take part.

Healthspan Connect is a large research project with different studies within it. This means that you can take part in more than one study and maximise your contribution to our research.

You can see what studies are running by looking at Our Studies.

You can see what studies are running by looking at Our Studies. Please make sure you read the information about the study before considering taking part.

You can take part in more than one study. Check you are eligible for each study before joining by reading about them in Our Studies.

Taking part in Healthspan Connect will provide you with the opportunity to be directly involved in the advancement scientific research.

Most people will not experience any serious side effects while taking part in Healthspan
Connect studies.

Each study will specify any possible disadvantages that could be associated with participation, in the study Participant Information Sheet. Some examples could include:

• Some questionnaires may include questions on sensitive topics. We will let you know in the information sheet.
• Slight discomfort if giving a blood sample.

The security of your information is very important to Healthspan Connect. Any information you give us will be stored on a secure electronic database. Healthspan Connect collects and uses information according to the General Data Protection Regulation 2018. All samples will be stored in accordance with the Human Tissue Act 2004.

For more information, please see our Data Privacy and Security Information page.

When you join, you will be asked to complete surveys and questionnaires online. We may ask you to send us samples using kits that we send to your home. All of these will be used to understand how your lifestyle contributes to healthy ageing.

Data and samples that you give us will be used and stored according to the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 and the Human Tissue Act 2004. For more information about how we use your information, please read the Data Privacy and Security Information.

Healthspan Connect will encourage researchers from all areas to work with us to improve health outcomes. In the future, this may include commercial companies. Healthspan Connect has a governance committee that reviews any potential partnership based on the aims and objectives of their research. Any partners will be required to meet the highest standards for data security, and data will always be anonymised so you cannot be identified.

When we use services like healthcare or education, information about us is collected and stored by different organisations. Data linkage means bringing this information together from your
official records. This helps Healthspan Connect collect useful data without needing extra time or effort from you. We will always ask for your permission before we request any of this information.

If you agree, we may link your health, education, or environmental records that are held by
trusted organisations and government bodies.

Data linkage has several benefits for both you and the researchers:

• Some people may find it hard to take part in Healthspan Connect studies. Data linkage is a simple way to still be part of important research.
• Even if you’ve taken part in many studies, there may still be some missing information.
  Linking to your official records can help fill in the gaps and give us a better overall picture.
• Some details, like the exact name and dose of a medicine you were given in the past,
  might be hard to remember. Data linkage helps us collect accurate details like these.

Yes, but only if you consent for us to do so. If you say yes, but change your mind later on, let us know and we will stop accessing these records. Only records that are relevant to the research being conducted will be accessed by us.

If you have previously participated in research studies run by ZOE (the ZOE Health Study and/or the PREDICT studies), you may have given your consent for ZOE to share with us the personal data they collected about you. We will use this personal data for the studies you sign up to and link it to your other Healthspan Connect data. This helps us collect useful data without needing extra time or effort from you, but you do not have to consent to this to participate in Healthspan Connect.

When we use services like healthcare or education, information about us is collected and stored by different organisations. By using something called Data Linkage, we can bring this information together from your official records through secure and confidential processes.

This helps Healthspan Connect build a more detailed picture of your background, without needing extra time or effort from you. We will only link to this data if you consent for us to do so.

To do this, we will securely share your name, date of birth, and NHS number with the organisations that hold your records.

They will send us the relevant information, and we will remove anything that could directly identify you before it’s added to our database. We will then match this information to your Healthspan Connect records using a special code that doesn’t reveal who you are.

Information from your completed questionnaires and any biological samples you might give us will be combined with your records such as health and education. Linking to your records enables researchers to build a more detailed picture of your lifestyle and health. You can read more about how we do this in Data Privacy and Security Information.

If you have given us permission to access your health records when joining Healthspan Connect but have opted out of the NHS system for sharing data with researchers, then we will not be able to access your records.

You can opt out, or opt back in again, at any time. Information can be found here.

Taking part in Healthspan Connect and associated studies is voluntary and you can withdraw any time. You can read more about how to withdraw in Withdraw from Healthspan Connect.