Implement

If the study involves collecting new data during a twin visit, then volunteers who fit the eligibility criteria are contacted by the admin team to arrange a visit. Most visits take between 3-6 hours depending on the study and involve completing consent forms and questionnaires and undertaking a range of research tests depending on the research question, such as blood pressure, blood tests, bone mineral density scans, eye tests, lung function, strength tests etc. Alternatively, questionnaires that have been designed to answer a specific research question are emailed or posted out to twins. Approximately every 2 years we also send out a large general questionnaire which covers health, lifestyle and behaviour and which provides crucial information for much of our research. Some of our research involves postal studies whereby twins post us samples such as stools, blood or saliva allowing people to take part in research without coming for a visit. If existing data is to be used for the study then the relevant variables need to be selected.