Background and Aims

The 2000 Stories project (Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study – VAHCS) is a landmark longitudinal study spanning over 26 years. The project began in 1992, when a group of approximately 2000 Year 9 students (14-15 years of age) were selected to participate. To date, participants have completed six interviews at school age (from Years 9 - 12), and 4 interviews in adulthood (aged around 21, 24, 29 and 35). Over 75% of the original cohort participated in the most recent interview.

1030 children from 666 of the original 2000 Stories participants were also recruited between 2006 and 2013 to participate in the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS). This is one of the first prospective multi-generational studies in the world to look at how a parent’s lifestyle, health and behaviour before pregnancy (including adolescence and young adulthood), as well as during and after pregnancy, might influence their child’s health and development. Since 2015, the study has followed up with the families that participated when their children were babies, and they are now being contacted as their child turns 8 years old to learn about their health and wellbeing as they grow up.

Collaborators

VAHCS includes collaboration with University of Queensland - Centre for Youth Substance Abuse, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of Melbourne - Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Bristol, University of Melbourne - Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Otago and the Cannabis Cohorts Research Consortium.

VIHCS includes collaboration with University of Melbourne - Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Deakin University - School of Psychology, University of Tasmania - Menzies Institute for Medical Research and the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study.

Funders

The Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study was awarded a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grant to conduct the 8 year follow up of children in the family study.

Funding is currently being sought for the next round of interviews as participants of the Victorian Adolescent health Cohort Study reach their early 40s.

Key papers

Olsson, C. A., Romaniuk, H., Salinger, J., Staiger, P. K., Bonomo, Y., Hulbert, C., & Patton, G. C. (2016). Drinking patterns of adolescents who develop alcohol use disorders: results from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study. BMJ open, 6(2), e010455. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010455

Patton, G. C., Romaniuk, H., Spry, E., Coffey, C., Olsson, C., Doyle, L. W., ... & Brown, S. (2015). Prediction of perinatal depression from adolescence and before conception (VIHCS): 20-year prospective cohort study. The Lancet, 386(9996), 875-883. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62248-0

Borschmann, R., Becker, D., Coffey, C., Spry, E., Moreno-Betancur, M., Moran, P., & Patton, G. C. (2017). 20-year outcomes in adolescents who self-harm: a population-based cohort study. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 1(3), 195-202. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(17)30007-X

Spry, E., Giallo, R., Moreno-Betancur, M., Macdonald, J., Becker, D., Borschmann, R., ... & Olsson, C. A. (2018). Preconception prediction of expectant fathers' mental health: 20-year cohort study from adolescence. BJPsych Open, 4(2), 58-60. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2017.10

Digital media

Further information on can be found on the 2000 Stories website.

You can also follow 2000 Stories on Facebook.