2000 Stories: Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study and Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (2000 Stories)

2000 Stories is a landmark longitudinal study spanning more than 30 years, comprised of the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study (VAHCS) and the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS).

The VAHCS was established in 1992, with a group of around 2000 Year 9 students (14 – 15 years of age) recruited across Victoria, Australia. The VAHCS surveys have created one of the most comprehensive pictures of adolescent development to date. Aspects of teenage health and behaviour investigated include mental health, personality and behaviour, school, family, and drug and alcohol use. This information has been used to improve the health of future generations by influencing policy and informing prevention programs.

The VIHCS, launched in 2006, is one of the first prospective multi-generational studies in the world to look at how a parent’s (VAHCS participant) lifestyle, health and behaviour before pregnancy (including the teenage years), as well as during and after pregnancy, might influence their child’s health and development. It is one of the first longitudinal studies of childhood psychosocial development to be embedded within an existing longitudinal study of parent development and aims to understand the processes that might influence many aspects of health and wellbeing across generations.

Year 2006-2013 2006-2013 2007-2014 2015-2021
Wave Antenatal Postnatal Infancy Childhood
Age 28-41 weeks gestation 4-31 weeks 50-77 weeks 96-114 months
N 806 877 975 878
RELEVANT LIFECOURSE DOMAINS Anthropometrics
Biosamples Biosamples
Cardiovascular health
Community environment Community environment
Demographics
Education and childcare Education and childcare
Family environment
Health services
Medications and supplements Medications and supplements
Mental health and behaviour problems
Neurocognitive development Neurocognitive development
Nutrition
Other health information
Peer relationships
Physical activity Physical activity
Pregnancy and birth Pregnancy and birth
Psychosocial wellbeing Psychosocial wellbeing
Puberty
Romantic relationships Romantic relationships
Screen and technology use
Sleep
Speech and language
Substance use Substance use
Temperament and personality
Study Summary
Study name 2000 Stories: The Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study
Study abbreviation VAHCS
Current principal investigator/s George Patton
Current project manager

Carolina Murphy
Primary Institution/s Murdoch Children’s Research Institute - MCRI
Collaborating Institution/s The Royal Children’s Hospital - RCH
Major funding source/s National Health and Medical Research Council - NHMRC
VicHealth
Australian Rotary Health Mental Health of Young Australians Research Grant
Australian Federal Government Department of Health and Ageing
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute - MCRI
Study website https://www.mcri.edu.au/2000-stories
Study focus

Mental and physical health problems and risk behaviours in the adolescent to young adulthood transition, and whether pre-conception factors can predict child and parental outcomes into childhood in the next generation.
Sampling frame

VAHCS is a eleven-wave cohort study which commenced in August 1992. At baseline, a representative sample of mid-secondary school adolescents (aged 14–15 years) across Victoria (Australia) were selected, using a two-stage cluster sampling procedure.
Primary study type Longitudinal cohort
Primary participant (at recruitment) Index child
Year commenced

1992
Is this study ongoing? Yes - the study is ongoing
Ongoing recruitment? No
Sample size (N)

From a sample of 2032 students, 1943 (95.6%) participated at least once during the first six (adolescent) waves and were eligible for adult follow-up. Of these participants, 1761 (90.6%) took part at least once in the young adult phase.
Survey data available? Yes
Imaging data available? No
Linkage to administrative dataset/s? Yes, linkage to (at least one) administrative dataset completed
Biosamples available? Yes
Are data available to others outside study team, with appropriate safeguards and structures in line with the cohort’s ethics and governance processes? Yes
Are there any costs associated with data/sample access for approved requests? There are usually no costs associated with access
Broadest type of participant consent available Specific consent (can be used for this project only)
Wave Year Age Sample size (N)
1 1992 14.9 N(Total)=898
2 1993 15.5 N(Total)=1727
3 1993 15.9 N(Total)=1697
4 1994 16.4 N(Total)=1628
5 1994 16.8 N(Total)=1575
6 1995 17.4 N(Total)=1530
7 1998-1999 20.7 N(Total)=1601
8 2001-2003 24.1 N(Total)=1520
9 2006-2008 29.1 N(Total)=1501
10 2012-2014 35.1 N(Total)=1443
11 2019-2021 42.6 N(Total)=1428
Study Summary
Study name Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study
Study abbreviation VIHCS
Current principal investigator/s George Patton
Current project manager

Carolina Murphy

 
Primary Institution/s Murdoch Children’s Research Institute - MCRI
Collaborating Institution/s The Royal Children’s Hospital - RCH
Major funding source/s National Health and Medical Research Council - NHMRC
Australian Rotary Health Mental Health of Young Australians Research Grant
Colonial Foundation
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute - MCRI
Study website https://www.mcri.edu.au/2000-stories
Key reference for study Spry, E., Olsson, C. A., Hearps, S., Aarsman, S., Carlin, J. B., Howard, L. M., Moreno-Betancur, M., Romaniuk, H., Doyle, L. W., Brown, S., Borschmann, R., Alway, Y., Coffey, C., & Patton, G. C. (2020). The Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS): Study design of a preconception cohort from parent adolescence to offspring childhood. Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology, 34(1), 86–98. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppe.12602
Study focus

VAHCS explores the extent to which risks that emerge in these transition years of adolescence and young adulthood may predict pregnancy risks, birth outcomes, postnatal maternal mental health and maternal child attachment in the first year of life. VAHCS has now been extended with VIHCS to further follow up offspring in childhood, allowing us to examine the extent to which preconception predictors may predict child and parental outcomes at age 8 years.

 
Sampling frame

The sample frame comprised all active members of the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort (VAHCS) who reported having a child between the recruitment phase (2006-2014). 1635 active study members were contacted at six-monthly intervals during the recruitment phase, via email, telephone and text message. Study members were invited to participate if they or their partner was pregnant or had a child born in the past 12 months.

 
Primary study type Longitudinal cohort
Year commenced

2006

 
Is this study ongoing? Yes - the study is ongoing
Ongoing recruitment? No
Sample size (N)

1030

 
Survey data available? Yes
Imaging data available? No
Linkage to administrative dataset/s? Yes, linkage to (at least one) administrative dataset completed
Biosamples available? Yes
Are data available to others outside study team, with appropriate safeguards and structures in line with the cohort’s ethics and governance processes? Yes
Are there any costs associated with data/sample access for approved requests? There are usually no costs associated with access
Broadest type of participant consent available Unspecified consent (can be used for any future ethically approved research)
Wave Year Age Sample size (N)
Antenatal 2006-2013 28-41 weeks gestation N(Total)=806
Postnatal 2006-2013 4-31 weeks N(Total)=877
Infancy 2007-2014 50-77 weeks N(Total)=975
Childhood 2015-2021 96-114 months N(Total)=878
Study Contacts
Principal investigator/s George Patton
Project manager

Carolina Murphy
Study Contact

Email: 2000stories@mcri.edu.au
Phone: 1800 706 101
Address: Murdoch Children's Research Institute,
Royal Children’s Hospital
Flemington Road, Parkville
Victoria 3052 Australia
Study Contacts
Principal investigator/s George Patton
Project manager

Carolina Murphy

 
Study Contact

Email: 2000stories@mcri.edu.au
Phone: 1800 706 101