Thank you to everyone who attended Focus@24+ between June 2015 and October 2017 - the data you provided is vital for helping researchers around the world answer important questions on key health issues, including asthma, nutrition and mental health.

The Focus@24+ visits have now come to an end – however, if you’d still like to take part, there's still time to complete your Focus@24+ questionnaire online. Please contact us on info@childrenofthe90s.ac.uk if you’d like to do so.

What Focus@24+ involved

Informed consent: a fieldworker explained all the sessions to you and answered any questions you might have had. Then they asked you to complete and sign a consent form. You chose how much or how little you wanted to do and were advised that you could withdraw from any or all of the sessions at any time. 

Fasting blood sample: giving blood after not having eaten or drunk anything apart from water for at least six hours. 

Urine sample: giving a small urine (pee) sample (about 1/3 of a cup). 

Chlamydia screening: if you gave us a urine sample, we asked if you would like to have it tested for chlamydia and gonorrhoea by the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP).

Liver scan: having your liver scanned by ultrasound while you are lying on your back. 

Time for a break: after doing all or any combination of the above sessions, it was time for a break and a light meal in our free cafe. 

3D whole-body scan: having your body's size, shape and posture measured while standing up in a three-dimensional (3D) machine that uses light scanners and computer software to produce the 3D image. There is no X-ray or radiation involved.

DEXA scan: having first your whole body, then just your hip, measured while lying on your back on a scanning machine.

Blood pressure and pulse: having your blood pressure and pulse measured in different ways while you were sitting and standing.

Body size and shape: having your weight, height (standing and seated), waist, arm and hip measured. 

Lung function: blowing into a mouthpiece for as long and as hard as you can, once before and once after inhaling an asthma drug called salbutamol (Ventolin). You could have chosen not to have the salbutamol in which case we only asked you to blow into the mouthpiece once.

Interviews and computer tasks: answering questions (some face-to-face, some on a computer) about a range of topics and completing tasks on a computer that look at your memory and how you make decisions and react emotionally to certain situations.

Playing your part: consenting to us using your health and other official records if you are happy to and haven't already done so in the past.

Once you completed your visit, we reimbursed you for your travel expenses and give you a £30 shopping voucher to compensate you for your time.

Want to know more?

Our Focus@24+ information leaflet (PDF, 1,460kB) has lots more information about what the clinic involved and the reasons why we carry out these tests.