Twins Early Development Study (TEDS)
TEDS aims to investigate the genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in cognition, mental health, and behaviour. The sample includes over 13,000 twin pairs born in England and Wales between January 1994 and December 1996. The twins were identified through birth records, and twins’ parents were contacted on behalf of TEDS by the UK Office for National Statistics (after screening for infant mortality). The study has been collecting detailed data on the health and development of the twins and their parents since the twins were 18 months old. Participants have been followed up 13 times, most recently at age 26 years.
Study design
Cohort - twin, Cohort
Number of participants at first data collection
13,694 (twin pairs)
Age at first data collection
18 months (participants)
Participant year of birth
1994 - 1996 (participants)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
United Kingdom (UK) Census data for families with children
Sample features
Countries
Year of first data collection
1995
Primary Institutions
King's College London (KCL)
Profile paper DOI
Funders
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
UK Research and Innovation
Ongoing?
Yes
Data types collected
- Computer, paper or task testing (e.g. cognitive testing, theory of mind doll task, attention computer tasks)
- Interview – face-to-face
- Interview – online
- Interview – phone
- Physical or biological assessment (e.g. blood, saliva, gait, grip strength, anthropometry)
- Self-report questionnaire – online
- Self-completed questionnaire – paper or computer assisted
- None
- None
- Education data
- Geographic, spatial & environmental data
- Healthcare data
- Social media & technology use data
Engagement
Keywords
Consortia and dataset groups
