British Birth Cohort Studies Flashcards
Define ‘birth cohort’
A group of people born in a defined area and period
List the key features of a birth cohort
- Often start from birth
- Are followed up over time
- Exposures and outcomes are measured at regular intervals
What was the background for the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD) 1946?
Post war, food rationing, plans for establishment
of the NHS
They were questioning the falling birth rate in the UK
What was the background for the National Child Development Study (NCDS 1958?
Concern that stillbirth rates were not falling
What was the background for the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study (BCS70)?
To examine social & biological characteristics of mothers linked to neonatal morbidity
What was the background for the Millennium Cohort Study
(MCS) 2000-2002?
Increasing policy interest in ‘early
years’ and the link between that and inequalities in school readiness
List modes of data collection for childhood
- parental interviews
- teacher assessments
- medical assessments
List modes of data collection for adulthood
- telephone interview
- nurse home visit
- record linkage
List strengths of British birth cohorts
- nationally representative
- relatively high participation rates maintained
- ideal for testing life course hypothesis
- respond to changing policy priorities
- repeated measures allowing study of change & cumulative exposure
List challenges involved in British birth cohorts
- recruitment and retention
- maintaining long-term funding
- impact of lifelong observation on behaviour and
actions
List the benefits of having multiple birth cohort studies
- study of cohort differences
- track health and social trends
- relative importance of risk factors may change
Define regional birth cohorts
similar design to British birth cohorts but
samples drawn from specific geographical areas e.g. Southampton Women’s Survey
Define historical cohorts
some data ascertained in earlier life, study
participants then retraced later in life e.g Boyd Orr Cohort
