Proposal summaries
B113 - Diet obesity and DXA - 01/05/2003
(No outline received).
B112 - Preparation for data sharing in the large birth cohort studies - 01/05/2003
(No outline received).
B110 - Bladder and bowel continence - 01/05/2003
Generalised Growth Mixture Models will enable us to divide the children into different groups (cluster-analysis style) and fit a different trajectory for each group. In the graph below, the y-axis is the probability of being dry at night. Preliminary analysis using data up to 91 months suggests 4 different groups: normal children, delayed dryness, severely delayed dryness and a relapse group.
Group membership can then be used as either a multinomial outcome or as a predictor for further analysis into the causes/effects of subnormal development of continence. The intention is to produce one methodological paper on the subject of fitting such models and then further epidemiological papers using the resulting groups.
B108 - Developmental predictors of early onset mood disorders - 01/04/2003
(No outline received).
B107 - An investigation of the relationship between allergic sensitisation immunogenetic susceptibility and the risk of childhood common acute lymphoblastic leukaemia - 01/04/2003
(No outline received).
B105 - Genetic and epidemiological study of varicella infection in childhood with particular reference to the CCR5/CCR2 gene region the CC chemokine gene region the MHC III gene region the 5q31-33 gene region and IFN gamma and IF - 01/04/2003
(No outline received).
B292 - Samples for fatty acid analyses antenatal and F7 plus maternal trace metal samples for Hg analysis at CDC - 01/03/2003
(No outline received).
B104 - Factors influencing detection and treatment of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - 01/03/2003
B103 - A prospective cohort study of the determinants of skeletal development in childhood - 01/03/2003
(No outline received).
B101 - Healthy eating behavioural and functional genomics of the disorders of eating - 01/03/2003
(No outline received).
B97 - The epidemiology outcomes of psychosis-like symptoms in children - 01/02/2003
There has been considerable recent interest in 'non-clinical' psychotic symptoms in adults and children. The Dunedin study, the only birth cohort to have investigated this, reported a prevalence of 14.1% in 11 year olds. There was a strong association (OR 16.4) between psychosis-like symptoms (PLIKS) in children and subsequent development of adult schizophreniform disorder, and PLIKS were also associated with other childhood developmental impairments. The Dunedin cohort was a relatively small (n=761) and low powered study. The 14,138 person ALSPAC birth cohort (now aged 11) presents a unique opportunity to investigate the nature, prevalence, and epidemiology of psychosis-like symptoms in childhood and adolescence.
B96 - Asthma treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and bone mineral density in children - 01/02/2003
(No outline received).
B98 - Growth in Focus - Modelling the tempo of growth in puberty and its influence on health - 01/02/2003
(No outline received).
B293 - Adult learning in ALSPAC - 01/01/2003
The purpose of this adult learning module was twofold:
1) To add to and update our knowledge about adult participation in learning activities including reasons for participating, attitudes to learning, benefits and barriers.
2) To help us better understand the educational cultures in the homes of young people, including any wider effects of adult learning on the family.
Ultimately this will allow us to develop a better understanding of the relationship between parents' education and learning activities and their children's social and emotional development.
Recent Government policy including that set out in the FE White Paper 'Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances' has emphasised the importance of equipping adults with the skills, competences and qualifications that employers value and which will prepare people to succeed in life and work. There is also recognition of the importance of learning for personal fulfilment and community development, and as parents, in supporting their children's educational progress and achievement.
B291 - Developing access to the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children a scoping study - 01/01/2003
In this note we describe the capability of ALSPAC to add to national data resources available for UK social scientists interested in studying patterns of social change over the post-war period.
The focus is on ALSPAC as a "missing cohort," i.e. its value in relation to the 1958, 1970 and Millennium Cohorts, rather than as a self-contained study. Therefore, we do not describe the full breadth of ALSPAC but rather draw out the common elements that might be of use in a cross-cohort study. We describe the data provided by these four cohort studies that may be of value to social scientists interested in studying and analysing national patterns and post-war trends in relation to the following related issues:
- child attainment and development
- the family and social contexts of children
- the characteristics and behaviours of families and parents
We describe some of the key variables that would be of use to social scientists interested in addressing these issues separately or jointly. This is far from being an exhaustive list of all the many domains of measurement in these four rich studies but is indicative of the breadth and commonality of measurement that social scientists could draw on in a cross-cohort study. We focus on construct measurement without providing any discussion of appropriate methods for any particular cross-cohort analysis.
To structure the discussion of variables and measurement we adopt a classification that we hope spans the different disciplines of social scientists who may wish to explore the cross-cohort issues. The following broad categories are used:
- Socio-economic and demographic factors
- Characteristics of the home & family
- Proximal processes within the home
- Child factors
- Other contexts
The variables described under these headings are specified below. For each of these variables the following sections then set out key measures in the four datasets.
Socio-economic and demographic factors
Family SEG
Parental employment status and details
Parental education
Household income
Family structure and family size
Age of parents
Ethnicity
Characteristics of the home & family
Housing
Pregnancy and birth of the study child
Parental physical health (as child)
Parental physical health (as adult)
Parental mental health
Parental attitudes, beliefs & values
Proximal processes within the home
Breastfeeding
Immunisations
Parenting
Home learning
Interpersonal relationships
Child factors
Ante-natal health
Child development measures
Physical health
Other contexts
Neighbourhood
Average income & education
Social capital
Pre-school & other child-care
Type & use
Age started formal care
Hours
Quality
Informal care
School factors
Characteristics of the child in school
Characteristics of the school
Peer group
Funding
Pedagogy
Ethos.
B283 - Lymphoblastoid cell line generation banking and related services for sample collections in human biomedical research - 01/01/2003
The primary aim was to develop all aspects of a robot-assisted human EBV-transformed, lymphoblastoid cell line facility within the ALSPAC population genetics laboratory in Bristol, so as to provide a reliable service for groups using large sample collections for human biomedical research. Once spare capacity arose following ALSPAC and 1958 Birth Cohort (58BC) work, this service was to be available, first, for selected Wellcome Trust funded research groups wishing to generate and bank cell lines, to use DNA from such cell lines or to study the cell lines themselves. A secondary aim was to learn more about the usefulness of EBV-transformed cell lines in genetic epidemiology beyond just providing a renewable source of DNA.
B298 - Association between the beta3-adrenergic receptor gene ADRB3 Trp64 Arg variant and childhood obesity risk - 01/01/2003
(No outline received).
B160 - Does proximity to high voltage power lines influence child development and morbidity in the local population A test of the corona ion hypothesis - 01/12/2002
(No outline received).
B91 - Abnormal eye growth and myopia - a study of the genetic and environmental risk factors - 01/12/2002
(No outline received).
B90 - The risk factors and natural history of allergic and obstructive airway disease and associated atopic problems in children teenagers and adults - 01/12/2002
(No outline received).