London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

Children of the 90s: third generation joins pioneering UK study

Children of the 90s: third generation joins pioneering UK study

Grandchildren, their parents and the original participants gather for 30th year of Bristol health project

It was a clinic with health staff in scrubs and masks and all sorts of scans, sensors and medical kits at the ready – but the atmosphere in the waiting area was more party-line than sombre.

“I’ve always enjoyed coming here,” said 30-year-old Sam Burton, who was with her mum, Deborah Burton, 61, and her daughter, Lily, three. “When I was little, it was a day off school and it never felt like a medical trial, it was fun; now I feel we’re part of something really important, something that has produced so much information, led to so much research.”

This was the first clinic of a new phase in the world-renowned Children of the 90s health study, which has closely followed three generations of residents in Bristol, helping scientists make important discoveries on everything from sudden infant death syndrome to the impact of the Covid pandemic on anxiety levels.

For the first time, three generations are being invited to attend the @30 clinics together. More than 20,000 people will be asked to take part in a series of tests over the next two years, examining everything from hand grip strength to bone density and susceptibility to a range of diseases and conditions including diabetes, dementia and septic shock. They will also be asked questions such as how happy they feel that day and what their religious beliefs are.

The 30th anniversary of the launch of the study is also a moment for the participants and experts to take stock.

Deborah Burton performs a jumping mechanography test for field worker Vijeta Saxena at the @30 clinic.


Deborah Burton was one of the 14,000 expectant mothers who were recruited in 1991 and 1992. She remembers filling in lengthy questionnaires. “They asked some weird questions, such as how many hours a day are you in the same room as a fridge. They must have had their reasons.”

She brought Sam along regularly. “She would have to catch a ball, walk in a straight line, build bricks. We also sent off nail cuttings, hair samples, her first teeth.” By the time she was nine, Sam was filling in the questionnaires. And now Sam is bringing her daughter – Deborah’s grandchild – along.

Prof Jean Golding, who set up the study, said she originally expected it to last seven years. At some point, she added a zero on to the seven. “I hope – and think – it will last for many generations,” she said.

The volume and breadth of the research that has flowed from the study is staggering, from links between medication taken while pregnant and a child’s wellbeing, to the way social media can lead to self-harm.

Prof Nic Timpson, the study’s principal investigator, said it was impossible to know what new discoveries would emerge from this next phase. “It is an asset that many hundreds of researchers around the world dip into and it generates things you just don’t expect.”

Timpson said it was an important moment for the project, which is based at the University of Bristol. “There’s a beautiful complexity. You have studies of the mums, the original babies and the next generation all running at the same time.”

Timpson said he felt data “pouring out” of each room in the clinic and the amount of material collected was astonishing.

Sam Burton has a glycocalyx scan. She has taken part in the study since she was a baby, saying: ‘I’ve always enjoyed coming here.’


In the basement of the study’s headquarters, many thousands of cells and tissue samples are stored in liquid nitrogen. There are dozens of enormous freezers packed with participants’ blood, urine and DNA. In a village outside Bristol, the placentas of the women who have taken part are stored in large vessels.

Tory Wells, 50, was at the clinic with her two daughters, now 30 and 29, and her five grandchildren, aged six months to seven. The little girls chose bright party dresses for their outing.

“I didn’t realise when I signed up how long it would go on for,” she said. “I didn’t in a million years think I’d be here with my grandchildren.” As a young mum the discoveries about cot death struck a chord but she also recalls researchers turning up at her home to test a square of carpet for pollutants. “They’ve found out so much. My children loved coming, now the grandchildren love it.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×