Gemini: Health and Development in Twins
Gemini is a large population-based study of English and Welsh families with twins born between March and December 2007. Families were recruited after being approached on behalf of Gemini by the Office for National Statistics using birth registration data in January 2008. The sample includes 1,586 same-sex and 816 opposite-sex twin pairs.
Study design
Cohort - twin, Cohort - intergenerational
Number of participants at first data collection
2,402 (families)
Age at first data collection
8 months (twin participants)
Varied (parents)
Participant year of birth
2007 (twin participants)
Varied (parents)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
The distribution of the Gemini families across England and Wales mirrors the population densities. Additionally, included twins are comparable in sex, zygosity, gestational age, and birthweight to national averages of twins.
Sample features
Countries
Year of first data collection
2008
Primary Institutions
University College London (UCL)
Links
Profile paper DOI
Funders
Cancer Research UK (CRUK)
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
MQ Mental Health Research
National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia & Depression (NARSAD) (now known as Brain & Behaviour Research Foundation; BBRF)
Ongoing?
Yes
Data types collected
- Interview – phone
- Physical or biological assessment (e.g. blood, saliva, gait, grip strength, anthropometry)
- Self-report questionnaire – online
- Self-report questionnaire – paper or computer assisted
- None
- None
- None
Engagement
Keywords
Consortia and dataset groups
