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Are ‘healthy cohorts’ real-world relevant? Comparing the National Child Development Study (NCDS) with the ONS Longitudinal Study (LS)

Archer, G; Xun, WW; Stuchbury, R; Nicholas, O; Shelton, N; (2020) Are ‘healthy cohorts’ real-world relevant? Comparing the National Child Development Study (NCDS) with the ONS Longitudinal Study (LS). Longitudinal and Life Course Studies 10.1332/175795920x15786630201754. (In press). Green open access

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Abstract

Comparisons between cohort studies and nationally representative ‘real-world’ samples are limited. The NCDS (1958 British birth cohort) follows those born in Britain in a single week in March 1958 (n=18,558); and the ONS Longitudinal Study (LS) contains linked census data and life events for a 1% sample of the population of England and Wales (> 1 million records; allowing for sub-samples by age, ethnicity, or other socio-demographic factors). Common country-and age-matched socio-demographic variables were extracted from the closest corresponding time-points, NCDS 55-year survey in 2013 (n=8107) and LS respondents aged 55 in 2011 (n=7052). Longitudinal associations between socio-demographic exposures (from the NCDS 46-survey in 2004 and LS respondents aged 45 in 2001) and long-term limiting illness (from NCDS 2013 and LS respondents 2011, aged 55) were assessed using logistic regression. The NCDS 55-year sample had similar characteristics to LS respondents aged 55 for sex and marital status, but the NCDS sample had lower levels of long-term limiting illness (19.7% vs 22.8%), non-white ethnicity (2.1% vs 11.7%) and living in South England (46.9% vs 50.1%), and higher levels of full-time employment (61.2% vs 55.2%), working in professional/higher managerial occupations (35.7% vs 29.2%), and living with a spouse (69.1% vs 64.9%), all p<0.001. Nevertheless, longitudinal associations between socio-demographic exposures and long-term limiting illness were similar in the NCDS and LS samples (all tests of between-study heterogeneity in mutually adjusted models p>0.09) suggesting these NCDS findings are largely generalisable to the population of England and Wales.

Type: Article
Title: Are ‘healthy cohorts’ real-world relevant? Comparing the National Child Development Study (NCDS) with the ONS Longitudinal Study (LS)
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1332/175795920x15786630201754
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1332/175795920X15786630201754
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions.
Keywords: attrition; census; cohort study; loss to follow-up; representativeness
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Epidemiology and Public Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Statistical Science
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10098099
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