You can take part in Healthspan Connect if you:
- Were born in and/or are resident in the UK
- Are age 12 or older
- Can take part using a computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet access
With your permission, we may also invite family members and household members to take part in Healthspan Connect so that we can further investigate how genetics and the environment affect health
For participants under 16 years old
If you decide to join Healthspan Connect, we will ask for a parent or guardian’s email address and phone number. This is so we can ask them if they agree for you to join, too.
We will send them a link to read the information you have seen for Healthspan Connect. We will then ask them if they are happy for you to join.
- If they say no, you will not be able to join, and we will delete all the information we have about you. You could still choose to join later if they agree then, or on your own when you are age 16.
- If you choose to take part, and your parent or guardian says yes as well, you’ll be asked to join studies that are right for you
For more information, and to read more about how to sign up, please go to the Take Part page.
What does taking part in Healthspan Connect involve?
Healthspan Connect is an ongoing research programme made up of different studies. Most of the time, you’ll be asked to collect samples or information at home. Occasionally, we may invite you to visit a research clinic to collect samples or carry out certain tests.
If you choose to take part, you’ll be invited to join studies that are relevant to you. For each study, we will provide an information sheet which will explain what is involved.
You may be asked to
- Fill in online questionnaires about your health, lifestyle, and background.
- Provide biological samples, such as blood (for DNA and other components), hair, nails, stool, saliva, semen, or tissue samples (biopsies).
- Use smart devices or phone apps to track things like your health, diet, sleep, mood, movement, location, and exercise.
- Take part in psychological tests and activities to help us understand brain function.
- Have clinical assessments and tests, such as physical measurements, fitness tests, skin and dental checks, allergy testing, eye and hearing tests, taste tests, and other sensory tests (like checking temperature sensitivity).
- Take part in interviews or focus groups to share your views and experiences.
- Help collect environmental samples, like drinking water, soil, or dust from your surroundings.
- We may also invite you to take part in studies that involve changes to lifestyle or diet. This could include trying dietary supplements, probiotics, following a specific diet, or making other non-medical changes. This would not interfere with any prescribed medications.
- You might also be invited to have your photo or video taken to help us promote Healthspan Connect or the study in question, but we’ll always ask for your permission first.
- If you give permission, we may also link to your health, education, and environmental records to build a more complete picture of your health and environment.
We will store your samples and data in the Healthspan Connect Biobank.
We do not usually give incentives for completing Healthspan Connect studies. However, we may sometimes offer vouchers or entry into a prize draw after you complete a sub-study. We will let you know if this is the case on the study information sheet.
For more information on our current studies, please click the button below: