The impact of attrition and non-response in birth cohort studies: a need to incorporate missingness strategies

This paper reveals the extent of attrition in the British Cohort Study begun in 1970 (BCS70) and how it affects sample composition over time. We examine the determinants of response and then construct inverse probability weights (IPWs) to adjust for sample loss. Secondly, we create a hypothetical substantive data set from BCS70 across data collection waves 3 and 4 to illustrate the effectiveness of the use of weights and multiple imputations (MI) in handling the impact of unit non-response and item missingness respectively. Our findings show that when the predictive power of the response models is weak, the efficacy of non- response weights is undermined. Further, multiple imputations are effective in reducing the bias resulting from item missingness when the magnitude of the bias is high and the imputation models are well specified

How consistent is respondent behaviour to allow linkage to health administrative data over time?

This study constitutes the first longitudinal exploration of consent to link survey and administrative data. It relies on a theoretical framework distinguishing between passive, active, consistent and inconsistent consent behaviour. The findings show that, in general, consent behaviours are both passive and consistent. First, consent rates indicate that most respondents behave consistently over time. Secondly, the regression analyses show that for the majority of respondents, consent is not driven by personal convictions but rather depends on the circumstances of the respondent at the time of the interview and on the impact of the interviewers. The findings also show that in longitudinal surveys cross-sectional analyses of consent can be misleading. The changes in the magnitude and in the significance of the results when the temporal dimension of consent is taken into account is a clear indication that consent should be treated as a dynamic phenomenon

An exploratory comparative analysis of data collected in the 1958 and 1970 British birth cohort studies

Britain is responsible for three Birth Cohort Studies with samples based on a single week's births in 1946, 1958 and 1970. The latter two, the National Child Development Study (NCDS) and the Child Health and Education Study (CHES), now known as BCS70, are based at the Social Statistics Research Unit (SSRU) at City University. Each comprise in the order of 16,000 cohort members for each of whom data have been collected at birth, and subsequently at ages 7, 11, 16, 23, 33 and 37 (NCDS), and at birth, 5,10, 16, 25 (BCS70). The value of these studies for testing competing hypotheses about the role of qualifications as opposed personal agency in labour market entry at times of economic stress is demonstrated by a comparative analysis involving data collected in the 1970 and 1958 cohorts. Using regression models the findings demonstrate, in line with human capital theory, that at times of economic stress, the part of personal agency concerned with individual skills and psychological well-being, over and above educational qualifications, does appear to provide a measure of protection against unemployment in the transition from education to work. An analysis is included in which the NCDS data are reweighted to take attrition into account. The paper also includes an examination of some of the design requirements for data collection in cohort studies on participation in education and the labour market, across the period of transition from childhood to adulthood

Exploring the role of early-life circumstances, abilities and achievements on well-being at age 50 years: evidence from the 1958 British birth cohort study

Objectives: We aim to examine the relative contributions of pathways from middle childhood/adolescence to mid-life well-being, health and cognition, in the context of family socio-economic status (SES) at birth, educational achievement and early-adulthood SES. Our approach is largely exploratory, suspecting that the strongest mediators between childhood circumstances and mid-life physical and emotional well-being may be cognitive performance during school years, material and behavioural difficulties, and educational achievement. We also explore whether the effects of childhood circumstances on mid-life physical and emotional well-being differ between men and women. / Setting/participants: Data were from the National Child Development Study, a fully-representative British birth cohort sample of 17 415 people born in 1 week in 1958. / Primary/secondary outcome measures: Our four primary mid-life outcome measures are: cognitive performance, physical and emotional well-being and quality of life. Our intermediate adult outcomes are early-adulthood social class and educational/vocational qualifications. Results: Using structural equation modelling, we explore numerous pathways through childhood and early adulthood which are significantly linked to our outcomes. We specifically examine the mediating effects of the following: cognitive ability at ages 7, 11 and 16 years; childhood psychological issues; family material difficulties at age 7 years: housing, unemployment, finance; educational/vocational qualifications and social class position at age 42 years. We find that social class at birth has a strong indirect effect on the age 50 outcomes via its influence on cognitive performance in childhood and adolescence, educational attainment and mid-life social class position, together with small direct effects on qualifications and social class position at age 42 years. Teenage cognitive performance has a strong positive effect on later physical health for women, while educational/vocational qualifications have a stronger positive effect on emotional well-being for men. / Conclusion: Our findings provide an understanding of the legacy of early life on multiple aspects of mid-life health, well-being, cognition and quality of life, showing stronger mediated links for men from childhood social class position to early adult social class position. The observed effect of qualifications supports those arguing that education is positively associated with subsequent cognitive functioning

A Standardised Procedure for Evaluating Creative Systems: Computational Creativity Evaluation Based on What it is to be Creative

Computational creativity is a flourishing research area, with a variety of creative systems being produced and developed. Creativity evaluation has not kept pace with system development with an evident lack of systematic evaluation of the creativity of these systems in the literature. This is partially due to difficulties in defining what it means for a computer to be creative; indeed, there is no consensus on this for human creativity, let alone its computational equivalent. This paper proposes a Standardised Procedure for Evaluating Creative Systems (SPECS). SPECS is a three-step process: stating what it means for a particular computational system to be creative, deriving and performing tests based on these statements. To assist this process, the paper offers a collection of key components of creativity, identified empirically from discussions of human and computational creativity. Using this approach, the SPECS methodology is demonstrated through a comparative case study evaluating computational creativity systems that improvise music

Health differentials in the older population of England: An empirical comparison of the materialist, lifestyle and psychosocial hypotheses

BACKGROUND: In developed countries with old age structures most deaths occur at older ages and older people account for the majority of those in poor health, which suggests a particular need to investigate health inequalities in the older population. METHODS: We empirically compared the materialist, psychosocial and lifestyle/behavioural theoretical mechanisms of explanation for socio-economic variation in health using data from two waves of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a nationally representative multi-purpose sample of the population aged 50 and over living in England. Three dimensions of health were examined: somatic health, depression and well-being. RESULTS: The materialist and lifestyle/behavioural paths had the most prominent mediating role in the association between socio-economic position and health in the older population, whereas the psychosocial pathway was less influential and exerted most of its influence on depression and well-being, with part of its effect being due to the availability of material resources. CONCLUSIONS: From a policy perspective there is therefore an indication that population interventions to reduce health differentials and thus improve the overall health of the older population should focus on material circumstances and population based interventions to promote healthy lifestyles

The contribution of home-based technology to older people's quality of life in extra care housing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>British government policy for older people focuses on a vision of active ageing and independent living. In the face of diminishing personal capacities, the use of appropriate home-based technology (HBT) devices could potentially meet a wide range of needs and consequently improve many aspects of older people's quality of life such as physical health, psychosocial well-being, social relationships, and their physical or living environment. This study aimed to examine the use of HBT devices and the correlation between use of such devices and quality of life among older people living in extra-care housing (ECH).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A structured questionnaire was administered for this study. Using purposive sampling 160 older people living in extra-care housing schemes were selected from 23 schemes in England. A face-to-face interview was conducted in each participant's living unit. In order to measure quality of life, the SEIQoL-Adapted and CASP-19 were used.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although most basic appliances and emergency call systems were used in the living units, communally provided facilities such as personal computers, washing machines, and assisted bathing equipment in the schemes were not well utilised. Multiple regression analysis adjusted for confounders including age, sex, marital status, living arrangement and mobility use indicated a coefficient of 1.17 with 95% CI (0.05, 2.29) and <it>p </it>= 0.04 [SEIQoL-Adapted] and 2.83 with 95% CI (1.17, 4.50) and <it>p </it>= 0.001 [CASP-19].</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The findings of the present study will be value to those who are developing new form of specialised housing for older people with functional limitations and, in particular, guiding investments in technological aids. The results of the present study also indicate that the home is an essential site for developing residential technologies.</p

Quality of Life and Affective Well-Being in Middle-Aged and Older People with Chronic Medical Illnesses: A Cross-Sectional Population Based Study

Background: There has been considerable research into the impact of chronic illness on health-related quality of life. However, few studies have assessed the impact of different chronic conditions on general quality of life (QOL). The objective of this paper was to compare general (rather than health-related) QOL and affective well-being in middle aged and older people across eight chronic illnesses.Methods and Findings: This population-based, cross-sectional study involved 11,523 individuals aged 50 years and older, taking part in wave 1 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. General QOL was assessed using the CASP-19, happiness was evaluated using two items drawn from the GHQ-12, and depression was measured with the CES-D. Analysis of covariance and logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender and wealth, were performed. General QOL was most impaired in people with stroke (mean 37.56, CI 36.73-38.39), and least in those reporting cancer (mean 41.78, CI 41.12-42.44, respectively), compared with no illness (mean 44.15, CI 43.92-44.39). Stroke (mean 3.65, CI 3.58-3.73) was also associated with the greatest reduction in positive well-being whereas diabetes (mean 3.81, CI 3.76-3.86) and cancer were least affected (3.85, CI 3.79-3.91), compared with no illness (mean 3.97, CI 3.95-4.00). Depression was significantly elevated in all conditions, but was most common in chronic lung disease (OR 3.04, CI 2.56-3.61), with more modest elevations in those with osteoarthritis (OR 2.08, CI 1.84-2.34) or cancer (OR 2.07, CI 1.69-2.54). Multiple co-morbidities were associated with greater decrements in QOL and affective well-being.Conclusion: The presence of chronic illness is associated with impairments in broader aspects of QOL and affective wellbeing, but different conditions vary in their impact. Further longitudinal work is needed to establish the temporal links between chronic illness and impairments in QOL and affective well-being