Asking your permission to keep using your information for new discoveries

At your next Growing Up in Australia visit, your interviewer will ask for your permission to keep your information in the important Child Health CheckPoint dataset. They can answer any questions you have.

At the CheckPoint visit, your parent gave their permission for you to participate. Now that you are an adult, we are asking for your permission to keep using your data for future research. Please be aware that we can’t remove information that’s already been used by researchers. We hope you agree to continue. Your CheckPoint information will help with more scientific discoveries to improve the lives of young people.

Your contribution to the study is unique. You represent other young people like you who couldn’t take part, helping make research more inclusive and beneficial for everyone. You can view Child Health CheckPoint information brochure.

What the CheckPoint assessment involved

You and your parent came to our travelling assessment centre or we visited you at home. We took measurements and samples; you can read more about what we measured below. We also asked about your wellbeing. You may have worn a watch that measured your physical activity (like a FitBit) or filled in a diary about how you spent your time.

What the CheckPoint measured

We collected data, images and biological samples from you and your parent which included:

• Data results from your:
  • hearing, vision and lung capacity tests
  • function of your blood vessels
  • physical activity
  • a short story you wrote about your ‘Life at 25’
• Digital images: photos of your:
  • face, teeth and eyeball
  • an x-ray of your leg
  • an ultrasound of your blood vessels
• Biological samples: samples provided at the time of your:
  • blood
  • urine
  • saliva/cheek cells
  • hair and toenails
• Birth information: This includes things like how much you weighed when you were born, or if you were born early (preterm). In the future, we may be able to add information collected by your birth hospital to the CheckPoint.

Some of your samples have already been analysed, including:

• Levels of nutrients and molecules that your body uses to function (blood)
• How well your kidneys are working (urine)
• Chemicals you may have been exposed to (urine)
• Genetic markers that might indicate your risk of common health problems like obesity or diabetes.

The CheckPoint scientific discoveries you’ve been a part of

Your CheckPoint information has already been part of many scientific discoveries – and this is only just beginning! As you get older, it will become even more valuable. None of the other ‘millennium’ studies around the world contain such detailed health measures.

Here are some findings you helped make possible:

• Air pollution isn’t good for children’s brains – but greenness around your house helps.
• Growing up in disadvantage can affect our health as adults. But CheckPoint showed this was already happening by age 11-12 years. Children with the most disadvantage had a 46% higher chance of artery wall build-up.
• How kids spend their time is linked to how healthy they feel in body and mind. We gave fun names to four broad groupings of time use in CheckPoint. ‘Studious Actives’ felt healthier than the ‘Potterers’, ‘Techno Actives’ and ‘Stay Home Screenies’. 
• Who knew? We found a link between hearing and the size of tiny blood vessels at the back of the eye. It was the same for CheckPoint parents and children. Could inflammation be the link?
• Calculate the ‘Goldilocks Day’ for a tween you know! We made this online calculator to find the best balance of daily activities for a child’s health, wellbeing and academic success. You can plug in your own values for mental health, physical health and school achievement.
• Are children born by caesarean (C-section) at higher risk of allergies like asthma and eczema? No, if you ask CheckPoint!

Who organises the CheckPoint study

CheckPoint is run from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI, located at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne). The CheckPoint team include many experts in child and adolescent health. The CheckPoint team work closely with the Growing Up in Australia team.

All aspects of CheckPoint are approved by both The Royal Children’s Hospital and the Australian Institute of Family Studies’ Human Research Ethics Committees.

Meet the CheckPoint team

Please visit the MCRI website to learn more about the CheckPoint research team.

How your information is stored

Australia has strict rules on how we store information about you and how it is used in approved research. We have strong security measures in place to protect your data from unauthorised people.

Information that identifies you (like your name and contact details) have been removed from your research data. Researchers see a random ID number with your research data. The ID number tells them nothing about you.

Still got your CheckPoint Time Capsule?

We gave you a wrist slap-band at the end of the CheckPoint visit. It had a USB in it. Your ‘time capsule’ USB had your eyeball image, 3D face, and your short story about your ‘Life at 25’.

Might be fun to check it out now that you’re in your 20s!