Eligibility: Open to twins and higher order multiples (HOMs) of all ages – identical and fraternal – and parents of twins/HOMs.
This special Twins FluTracking Survey enrolment has been developed especially for twins/HOMs to report if they’ve had symptoms of flu in the past week.
The FluTracking.net project is a joint initiative of the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Population Health, and Hunter Medical Research Institute. FluTracking is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health.
The FluTracking team use data collected to help track the spread of influenza-like-illness across Australia and New Zealand and provide early warning of potential outbreaks and monitor trends during pandemics.
The FluTracking team are collaborating with Twins Research Australia to provide the Twins FluTracking Survey. Twins and HOMs provide special insights into the interplay between genes and environment in determining people’s experience of flu-like symptoms and whether they get a flu vaccine or not. This has great implications for improving vaccination campaigns, as it tells researchers whether members of the same family are more or less likely to get vaccinated.
What is involved?
FluTracking is an online survey that asks if you have had fever or cough in the last week. The survey takes just 10-15 seconds to answer and is sent via email each week during the usual influenza season (typically April to October).
Note that this year in light of COVID-19 the survey started at the end of February and is now tracking coronavirus symptoms as well.
If you decide to take part, you are consenting to share your data with the Australian FluTracking team as well as Twins Research Australia. Twins Research Australia will be responsible for analysing the twin data.
Who is eligible?
This survey is open to all twins, higher order multiples (HOMs) or parents of twins/HOMs with access to complete an online survey.
You do not need to be registered as a member of Twins Research Australia to participate in the study, however membership is encouraged. Join TRA here.
While you can join FluTracking as an individual twin or HOM, we’d appreciate if you could encourage your twin or trio (or more) to join too. It will give further insight and data to track and provide early warning of potential outbreaks.
If you’ve previously joined FluTracking as an individual and not a twin/HOM, please join up again at Twins FluTrackingand you will be automatically reassigned to the Twins portal. You will receive an email to confirm this change – it is essentially automated and very straightforward.
If you are not a twin, please go to the regular join-up page instead.
Would you like to get involved?
If you would like to be involved, please sign up at Twins FluTracking Survey to take part.
Recruitment:
May 2020 – Ongoing
