This landmark longitudinal study, officially known as the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study (VAHCS), has been tracking the lives of young Victorians for over 30 years. In 2006, the intergenerational component of the project was created: the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS).

A Look Back

The journey began in 1992 with 2000 Year 9 students (aged 14-15) from 44 schools across Victoria. These young participants have grown, and many have started families of their own. This gave rise to a unique opportunity to explore intergenerational connections in health and wellbeing. Between 2006 and 2013, 1030 children from 665 of the original participants joined the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS). There have been 11 waves of VAHCS interviews, and 4 waves of VIHCS interviews.

Where We Are Now

In February 2023, we launched Wave 5 of VIHCS. This phase focuses on families as their children turn 15, with parents and teens sharing their experiences over the past year through online interviews. We aim to understand aspects such as family dynamics, stress, friendships, school life, and community connections. We’re also exploring trends in adolescent mental health, substance use, social media, and screen time.

Celebrating Our Successes

The support from our VIHCS families has been phenomenal. We’ve already connected with 280 families, achieving an impressive 80% completion rate of participants contacted. Notably, we’ve re-engaged 31 families who hadn’t participated in the study since their child was just one year old – that’s a gap of 14 years!

Looking Ahead

Capturing such rich data is a marathon, not a sprint. The positive relationships we maintain with our participants are key to our ongoing success. We are excited to continue this journey over the next four years and beyond.

Stay tuned for more updates and insights from the 2000 Stories Study!