TY - JOUR
T1 - Are ‘healthy cohorts’ real-world relevant? Comparing the national child development study (NCDS) with the ONS longitudinal study (LS)
AU - Archer, Gemma
AU - Xun, Wei W.
AU - Stuchbury, Rachel
AU - Nicholas, Owen
AU - Shelton, Nicola
PY - 2020/1/1
Y1 - 2020/1/1
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Attrition
KW - Census
KW - Cohort study
KW - Loss to follow-up
KW - Representativeness
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087640758&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1332/175795920X15786630201754
DO - 10.1332/175795920X15786630201754
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85087640758
SN - 1757-9597
VL - 11
SP - 307
EP - 330
JO - Life Course and Longitudinal Studies
JF - Life Course and Longitudinal Studies
IS - 3
ER -