Physical health topics

Any items related to adverse reactions to foods, medications, animals and the environment (e.g., pollen, grass, mould)

This topic also includes conditions such as eczema and hay fever

Weight, height, and BMI

Measures of anthropometry can be reported by an informant (cohort member, parent, partner…) or collected as part of a physical health assessment conducted by a clinician, nurse, or study team.

This topic concerns measurements of blood pressure only

This topic does not include blood pressure-related health problems, such as hypertension

Diagnosis of any type of cancer (self-report or report of family history)

Also includes items related to cancer treatment (e.g., chemotherapy, radiation, surgery)

Any items concerning heart-related health

Conditions including heart attack, stroke, chest pain, angina, abnormal heart rhythm, heart disease, deep vein thrombosis

Also includes standard indicators of cardiovascular health, such as the QRISK Calculator

Any physical effects of Covid-19, including symptoms

Symptoms or diagnosis of long-Covid

Items related to testing, antibodies, and vaccinations

Any dental-related health, including visits to the dentist, fillings, tooth pain, wisdom teeth extractions

Child-specific dental-related health such as teething, teeth lost, teeth brushing

Diagnosis of diabetes (self-report or family history)

Any items related to dietary restrictions due to diabetes

Measures concerning diet and nutrition which are not included as part of the ‘eating disorders’ mental health topic

Items related to appetite, foods and drinks consumed, food preferences, weaning in infants, dietary restrictions (unless dieting due to dissatisfaction with weight and shape)

For measures of dieting and disordered eating, search ‘eating disorders’ on the Catalogue search page

Items related to fatigue, energy loss, chronic tiredness, and muscle weakness

Including diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

For items related to sleep problems or loss of sleep please see ‘sleep quality’ below

Limitation or restriction of activities due to any physical health problem

Inability to complete day-to-day activities, often referred to as Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), such as walking, washing, cooking independently or without struggle

Any items concerning children from birth to 12 months of age

Common infant-related health problems including preterm birth, jaundice, colic, cradle cap

Any items related to musculoskeletal health

Conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, muscular dystrophy

Also includes stiffness, joint problems, broken or fractured bones

Items concerning menstruation, menopause, and pregnancy. Including birth, delivery and postnatal health

Hormonal health, hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

Surgical procedures such as hysterectomy or oophorectomy

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), (loss of) libido, contraception use

Any items relating to acute or chronic physical pain, including phantom limb pain

Conditions such as chronic pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraines

Any items related to physical activity, including activities such as running, walking, cycling, swimming, and dancing, as well as activities like gardening

Diagnosis of any physical or congenital anomalies, usually identified at birth or in utero

Conditions such as sickle cell anaemia, spina bifida, cleft lip/palate, Down syndrome

Items related to accidents, injuries, and falls

Items related to the (in)ability to walk or move autonomously without the help of an aid (wheelchair, walking stick, crutches…) or another person

This topic also includes measures commonly collected during physical health assessments, including measures of gait and balance, grip strength, and chair stand tests

Any items related to pubertal development in children and adolescents, including onset of menstruation, facial changes, voice changes, hair growth, changes to body shape

Any acute or chronic respiratory health problems, such as asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary hypertension, pneumonia, emphysema, cystic fibrosis

This topic also includes measurements of lung function (e.g., spirometry, peak flow test)

This topic does not include smoking, for measures of smoking search ‘smoking’ on the Catalogue search page

Any indicators of sleep quality including self-rated quality of sleep, duration of sleep, difficulty falling asleep, waking in the night, and snoring

Sleep disorders such as insomnia, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnoea, narcolepsy

This topic also includes objective measures of sleep, such as polysomnography

Any items related to impairment to sight or hearing, such as the use of prescription glasses, blindness and vision loss, hearing loss, use of hearing aids or cochlear implants

This topic also includes various conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, tinnitus, and otitis media