The below video is our latest version of this event recorded on Wednesday 15 November 2023.

You can download a PDF of the Getting Started slides here.

About the event

These cohort studies are a powerful resource for addressing a wide range of scientific questions in various social, health, political and geographical sciences. The data are freely available for students, academics and organisations for non-commercial use to download from the UK Data Service.

This webinar gives first-time users an insight into four internationally-renowned cohort studies run by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS ). Attend to learn about the birth cohorts, the types of information available, possible research topics, and potential methods of data analysis.

Suitable for Masters or PhD students interested in using the cohorts for a dissertation or thesis, as well as researchers in academia or the third sector new to the cohort studies, this event gives an overview of how to access and get started using the data in:

• 1958 National Child Development Study
• 1970 British Cohort Study
• Next Steps
• Millennium Cohort Study

This webinar will be valuable to students, academics and third sector researchers or practitioners who:

• Are new to the birth cohort studies
• Want an overview of the type of research topics that the data could offer
• Are interested in finding out about the types of analysis that can be performed with the data
• Are thinking of using the cohort studies in their work or dissertations, and want to know how to access and get started handling the data
• Have specific questions about (how to use) the birth cohort studies

Part 1) Introduction
What are birth cohort studies?
Overview of NCDS, BCS70, Next Steps and MCS
Type of information collected

Part 2) Content by ‘subject area’
Physical health
Mental health
Family and relationships
Education
Economics
Social care

Part 3) Overview of the type of analysis
Simple analyses
Confounder control
Repeated measures
Cross-cohort analysis

Part 4) Getting started with the data
Available resources
Accessing the data
Data protocols, structure and merging
Study design and weights
Dealing with attrition
Where to go for more information

Webinar presenters

• Vanessa Moulton, Senior Research Associate, Centre for Longitudinal Studies
• Morag Henderson, Associate Professor in Sociology, Centre for Longitudinal Studies
• Richard Silverwood, Associate Professor and Chief Statistician, Centre for Longitudinal Studies

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