What is APCAPS?

The Andhra Pradesh Children and Parent Study (APCAPS) is a large prospective, intergenerational cohort study in Southern India that began with the long-term follow-up of the Hyderabad Nutrition Trial (1987-1990).  It is situated in 29 villages near the city of Hyderabad in Ranga Reddy district, Andhra Pradesh.

The Hyderabad Nutrition Trial evaluated the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, a national community outreach program, which provides a daily food supplement to pregnant women and children under 6 years of age.  The trial used a controlled stepped wedge design, recruiting pregnant women from 29 villages (15 intervention – with program; 14 controls – awaiting implementation) and followed them through to childbirth.

In 2003-5, trial households were retraced and surveyed: families with at least one child born during the trial period and still alive in 2003-05 became the APCAPS prospective cohort (1815 families, 2601 index children).  At this time, a first wave (W1) of data collection was carried out on index children and their mothers.  The index children were then re-examined as young adults (aged 18-23 years) in 2009-10 (the second wave, W2) and then again in 2010-12 (the third wave, W3) when their siblings and parents were also examined. A socio-demographic household survey of all residents in all 29 villages was completed between 2012 and 2014.

 What data are available?

Extensive data have been collected including: socio-demographics; social position; lifestyle (diet, physical activity, tobacco and alcohol); household characteristics; general health, medical and family history; anthropometric and body composition measures (TANITA and DXA); vascular physiology (BP, arterial stiffness, carotid intima-media thickness), lung function, and fasting biomarkers (e.g. glucose, lipids and insulin). Blood samples and DNA have also been banked.

The socio-demographic household survey collected key demographic data on all current residents (n=~91,000), those who had recently migrated away from the villages (n=~2,200), and those who had recently died (n=~1,600). In addition, anthropometric data on children less than six years of age were collected (n=~7,000), and mothers of these children provided information on their reproductive history and breast-feeding practices.