Generation Scotland: NextGenScot

Our physical and mental health is strongly influenced by a mix of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors. We need to look at all three factors to properly understand individual risks of developing one disease or another. We want to understand these influences from early life through to adulthood and old age. We’ll do this by building on the success of Generation Scotland, our current study of families in Scotland. 

We will invite younger family members to donate samples for genetic studies, answer lifestyle questionnaires and link these to medical records held by NHS Scotland and follow them up over time. 

Our findings will help us discover important clues about the balance of factors that affect our physical and mental health. We’ll learn how to spot problems early and predict how each person is likely to respond to different treatment options.