August 2025

The APPAP August meeting was well attended with 9 out of 15 members participating. There were three main topics under discussion.

G2 questionnaires

The G2 questionnaires help track the children of the original “Children of the 90s” participants. APPAP were asked to review new forms to better reflect current NHS pregnancy screenings and include new questions like birth weight. Both parents now get questionnaires at the same time, and the post-birth form is sent later to ease pressure on new parents. The study aims to be inclusive of all family types, including same-sex couples, surrogate mothers, and families with multiple partners. Overall, the updates make the questionnaires easier and more useful.

G2 invites

ALSPAC is improving how it invites participants to clinics and questionnaires for the G2 study (Children of the Children of the 90s). The new approach sends separate invites for each, making questionnaires feel just as important and helping boost response rates. The team is also updating documents to be clearer and easier to read. Suggestions included adding QR codes for booking, timelines of upcoming visits, and clearer wording. iPads are now used in clinics to help complete questionnaires. The study aims to be flexible and inclusive, and participants are encouraged to contribute in ways that suit their lives best.

JustGiving page

ALSPAC is considering setting up a JustGiving page for participants who want to donate to the study, including those wishing to leave money in their will. Some participants have asked how they can help financially. The plan is to keep the page low-key and only share it with people who ask. Suggestions included offering donors’ updates or a newsletter and clearly explaining how donations are used. The team is balancing being specific enough to encourage donations without creating admin issues. Everyone agreed the idea was good, and wording will be carefully chosen to reflect ALSPAC’s values.

Improvements to APPAP

Recently, ALSPAC held an APPAP training day. Changes from this day include clearer referral forms, website guidance, and trial forms to help before and after meetings. We are recruiting a participant co-chair for APPAP.

House of Commons visits

ALSPAC is collaborating with the House of Commons to help make its research more visible to policymakers. Four HoC researchers will visit Bristol, and APPAP members have been invited to join a session to explain their role.

The next meeting is in October 2025.