Centre for Longitudinal Studies Resource Centre 2022 - 2025

纵向研究中心（CLS，或中心）是四个长期的英国国家出生队列和纵向研究的中心，千年队列研究（MCS，生于2000/1），下一步（生于1989/90，从青春期开始跟踪），1970年英国队列研究（BCS70）和1958年国家儿童发展研究（NCDS）。与1946年同样在伦敦大学学院进行的国家健康与发展研究（NSHD）一起，这些研究构成了世界上唯一的一系列国家出生队列研究，这些研究利用其丰富的多学科生命历程数据产生了有影响力的科学研究和政策证据。除了研究本身的科学和政策价值外，该中心还汇集了纵向数据收集和研究的领导、设计和交付方面的科学和业务专业知识。该提案旨在支持中心在未来三年内在四个CLS队列（MCS 22岁，next Steps 32岁，BCS70 51岁，NCDS 62岁）中开展主要数据收集项目。这些将是非常宝贵的数据资源，在大流行刚刚结束之后以及在重大经济和社会变革的背景下提供证据。我们将与研究建立新的联系，包括与卫生和刑事司法记录以及与当地环境、社会经济条件和便利设施的地理空间数据建立新的联系。统一工作规划将创建关于身体健康、家庭和遗传风险的新的统一数据和代码，促进跨队列研究。保持代表性和尽量减少人员流失是中心目标，我们将通过在参与者参与和队列维护方面的创新来实现这一目标，包括使用激励措施和数字跟踪，以及让参与者在研究的发展中拥有更大的发言权。我们将开展一项调查方法和应用统计方法的工作计划，为最大限度地减少人员流失和最大限度地提高数据质量的主要挑战提供证据，并支持数据用户处理丢失数据、调整测量误差和进行因果推论等相关分析挑战。来自我们所有数据收集和链接的数据将通过UKDS和其他可信研究环境提供。我们将简化我们的数据输出，提供可用代码以帮助用户在扫描和纵向范围内合并数据，通过开发支持数据可发现性的工具，以及通过提供培训以支持不同的用户和需求，使研究更容易使用。我们将通过对我们的主要新数据输出进行与政策相关的研究，利用CLS队列的纵向价值，以及通过作为该资助的一部分进行的协调工作所实现的跨队列比较，来创造和展示影响。我们未来三年工作的一个关键方面将是深化中心的学术合作，包括通过与伦敦大学学院MRC终身健康和老龄化部门的联合工作，以及通过在政策研究、行政和地理数据链接、协调和系统审查方面具有专业知识的科学合作者。我们将与英国数据基础设施的关键要素密切合作，包括ESRC自己的投资和更广泛的UKRI倡议，以及纵向研究的国际网络。我们拥有一支强大的高级领导团队，包括经验丰富的科学和业务领导，以及一些经验丰富的共同调查员。正式的规划管理方法，结合健全的治理结构和强有力的制度支持，将确保我们的团队能够实现这一雄心勃勃的工作规划。

The Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS, or the Centre) is home to four longstanding UK national birth cohort and longitudinal studies, the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS, born 2000/1), Next Steps (born 1989/90, followed since adolescence), the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70), and the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS). Together with the 1946 National Study of Health and Development (NSHD), also at UCL, these form the only series of national birth cohort studies in the world, which generate impactful scientific research and policy evidence using their rich, multidisciplinary life course data. In addition to the scientific and policy value of the studies themselves, the Centre brings together scientific and operational expertise in the leadership, design, and delivery of longitudinal data collection and research.This proposal is to support the Centre over the next three years in order to carry out major data collection projects in each of the four CLS cohorts (MCS at Age 22, Next Steps at Age 32, BCS70 at age 51, NCDS at age 62). These will be highly valuable data resources, providing evidence in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic and in the context of major economic and social change. We will create new linkages to the studies, including to health and criminal justice records, and to geo-spatial data on local environments, socio-economic conditions and amenities. A programme of work on harmonisation will create newly harmonised data and code on physical health, families, and genetic risks, facilitating cross-cohort research. Maintaining representation and minimising attrition are central goals, which we will achieve through innovations in participant engagement and cohort maintenance, including the use of incentives and digital tracing, and by giving participants a greater voice in the development of the studies. We will undertake a programme of work in survey methods and applied statistical methods, to provide evidence on the primary challenges of minimising attrition and maximising data quality, and supporting data users in the related analytical challenges of handling missing data, adjusting for measurement error, and making causal inferences. The data from all our data collections and linkages will be made available via UKDS and other Trusted Research Environments. We will make the studies easier to use by simplifying our data outputs, making available code to help users merge data within sweeps and longitudinally, and by developing tools to support the discoverability of our data, as well as by offering training to support diverse users and needs. We will create and demonstrate impact by undertaking policy-relevant research on our major new data outputs, capitalising on the longitudinal value of the CLS cohorts, and cross-cohort comparisons made possible by the harmonisation work undertaken as part of this grant. A key aspect of our work over the next three years will be deepening the academic collaborations of the Centre, including through joint working with the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at UCL, and through scientific collaborators with expertise in policy research, administrative and geo-data linkage, harmonisation, and systematic review. We will work closely with key elements of the UK's data infrastructure including ESRC's own investments and wider UKRI initiatives, and in international networks of longitudinal studies. We have a strong Senior Leadership Team comprising highly experienced scientific and operational leads, together with a number of experienced Co-Investigators. A formal programme management approach, combined with a robust governance structure and strong institutional support, will ensure that our team can deliver this ambitious programme of work.