Information for Gemini twins
Please read this information carefully. You can talk about it with your family or friends. Ask if there is anything you don’t understand. Take time to decide if you want to do it. Thank you for reading!
What is this study about?
We don’t know much about what teenagers eat and drink, and why. We are therefore asking for your help to learn more about what you’ve been eating and drinking recently. This will help us to work out how we can support teenagers to eat healthily.
What will I need to do to take part?
First, you will need to agree to: (1) take part in this study and (2) to give us your email address or phone number (this is called ‘consent’). To do this, please visit www.geministudy.co.uk, click ‘For participants’ > ‘For Twins’ and then ‘Take part now’. This will take you to a page where you can agree to take part (‘consent’) and give us your contact details (email address or phone number).
We will contact you by email or text message with a link to an online food and drink survey that is personal, and private to you. The survey will ask you to report everything you ate and drank the day before. We will contact you on 3 different days and ask you to complete the survey each time (so you will be asked to complete the survey 3 times). The survey is called Intake24 (https://intake24.co.uk/) and has been designed especially for teenagers.
Why have I been asked to take part?
We are asking you to take part because you are a twin and your family have been part of the Gemini study since you were born. Twins are extra special for researchers because they can help us learn about the influence of nature (genes) and nurture (experience) on health and wellbeing.
Do I have to take part?
No, it is up to you. Your parents or carers can help you decide. You can also stop at any time. If you decide you don’t want to take part, you and your family can still be part of the Gemini study.
What are the benefits of taking part?
To thank you for taking part, we will send you a £10 Love2shop voucher, which can be used at a wide range of websites. You get this reward if you complete the online survey on all 3 days!
What might be hard about taking part?
It might be a bit difficult to remember all the things you’ve eaten or drunk recently. Don’t worry; just tell us what you do remember, to the best of your ability.
Will my information be kept private?
Everything you tell us will be private. Your name will be replaced with a number so no one will know who you are. We will look at all the answers from you, and from the other teenagers taking part, and we will write about what we learn. This will help others understand more about teenagers’ eating habits.
When will I be contacted again?
We will contact you again in the next five years about other research. You don’t need to let us know now whether you would like to take part again in the future. We will check you are still happy to answer questions the next time we contact you.
What if something goes wrong?
We will try and help with any questions you have. If you get upset someone will happily talk to you about it. You, or your parents/carers can also talk to Dr Alice Kininmonth, who is organising the study by calling 020 3108 9696 or emailing a.kininmonth@ucl.ac.uk
