Frequently asked questions
All my friends have received letters and I haven’t
If you took part in the SPEEDY study last year and all your friends have received a letter and you haven’t, you might need to wait a few days in case it has been slow getting to you in the post. If you have moved house, your parents should email us at speedystudy@mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk with your new address if you would like to take part and we will send you a letter there. Otherwise contact us.
Why do I have to wear the activity monitor again?
We are interested to see how children’s physical activity levels change as they get older. The first part of SPEEDY gave us lots of information on what Year 5 children liked to eat, what physical activities they did, and what they thought about physical activity and healthy eating. Now we want to find out about Year 6 children!
Do I need to chew on the cotton wool again?
No, if you decide to take part, we will only ask you to wear an activity monitor for one week and to complete a short questionnaire.
When are you visiting our school?
If you decide to take part, we will post the activity monitor and questionnaire to your home. We will then ask you to post these back to us in the freepost envelope provided. For this study we will not be measuring you at school.
I have not received a monitor yet, what do I do?
If you and your parent or guardian have completed a reply form and posted it back to us there may be a delay before we are able to send you the monitor. We are aiming to send monitors to all SPEEDY volunteers at the same school at a similar time, so there may be a delay while we wait for others from your school to reply to us too. If others from your school have received a monitor a few days ago and you haven’t, and you have replied to us agreeing to take part then contact us.
How do I adjust the belt?
The belt should fit snugly around your waist with the activity monitor placed on your right hip. If your belt is too tight or too loose then please ask your parent or guardian to help you to adjust it.
I have lost the envelope to send the monitor back, what do I do?
If you have lost the envelope you can ask your parent or guardian to write our freepost address (below) on a suitable envelope and you can put it in the post without a stamp. Otherwise, contact us and we will send you another envelope.
The freepost address is:
RRUL-TTXY-BRUY
MRC Epidemiology Unit
Institute of Metabolic Science
Box 285 Addenbrookes Hospital
Hills Road
CAMBRIDGE
CB2 0QQ
When should I wear the activity monitor?
You should wear the activity monitor every day for seven days, starting the morning after you receive it. You should put the monitor on first thing in the morning and wear it until you go to bed.
The monitor should be worn on the right hip with the black button at the top (see picture). It is important that the belt is fastened tightly so it fits snugly to the body. If it is loose, the measurements will be inaccurate. See the activity monitor FAQs and information sheet [doc] [pdf] for further information.
We have moved house, what do I do?
If you have moved house over the last year, we may have sent your invitation letter to your previous address. If this letter gets forwarded to you, please update your address details on the reply form. Otherwise contact us and we will update your details.
What does SPEEDY stand for?
SPEEDY stands for: “Sport, Physical activity and Eating behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young people.”