1. Introduction to the UK Millennium Cohort
for Montevideo Panel, October 2015
Child of the New Century
Heather Joshi
Professor Emerita
Centre for Longitudinal Studies,
UCL Institute of Education
London
2. British Birth Cohort Studies
• MCS: in 2000, first national birth cohort study for 30
years
• Previous (ongoing) UK/GB National Studies:
1946: MRC National Survey of Health & Development
1958: National Child Development Study (NCDS)
1970: British Birth Cohort Study
- 1958, 1970 & MCS based at CLS, UCL IOE
• New birth cohort – The Life Study started in 2014 based
at UCL ICH
3. Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) is a birth
cohort study of nearly 19,000 children born
in 398 areas of the UK
Highly multidisciplinary survey, designed to
capture the influence of early family context
on child development and outcomes
throughout childhood, into adolescence and
through adulthood
4. Objectives of MCS
• To chart the initial conditions of the social, economic and health
advantages and disadvantages facing new children in the new century
and follow their changes and consequences
• To capture information for the future
• To compare patterns of development with other cohorts
• To collect information on previously neglected topics, such as father’s
involvement and child care
• To investigate the wider social ecology of the family, including
community and services, splicing in geo-coded data
5. MCS Study Design
• Cohort born over a 12 month period
• In England and Wales born between:01/09/2000 and 31/08/2001
• In Scotland and Northern Ireland born between: 24/11/2000 and
10/1/2002
• Geographically clustered by electoral ward (average population 5000)
• Oversamples for Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland, areas with high child poverty
• and, in England, areas with higher ethnic minority populations
6. MCS Sample Strategy
• Stage 1: Selection of 398 electoral wards
• Ethnic
• Disadvantaged
• Advantaged
• Stage 2: Selection of children (ca 27000)
• Sample drawn from child benefit records held by
DWP. Includes families with multiple births
7. MCS Surveys
• 9 month Survey in 2001/2002
• Age 3 Survey in 2003/2004
• Age 5 Survey in 2006
• Age 7 Survey Jan 2008-Jan 2009
• Age 11 Survey during 2012 final year of primary school
• MCS6 at age 14, started Jan 2015
• MCS 7 will be at age 17 (start 2018)
• Intention to follow through teenage years & through
adulthood
8. Response in surveys
Number of
Sampled
Wards
MCS1
Achieved
Sample
MCS2
Achieved
Sample
MCS3
Achieved
Sample
MCS4
Achieved
Sample
MCS5
Achieved
Sample
TOTAL UK 398 18552 15590 15246 13857 13287
19244 families ever interviewed, including 692 first found at MCS2
Initial response rate of ever interviewed out of ever eligible = 71%
Attrition to MCS5
Freq. %
Monotone 5,023 26.1
Non-monotone 3,773 19.6
All waves 10,448 54.3
Total 19,244 100.0
Panel maintenance involves tracing and feedback
9. The Millennium Cohort Study content at a glance to MCS5
MCS 1 MCS2 MCS 3 MCS4 MCS5
|
2001/2 2003/4 2005/6 2008/9 2012/13
9 months AGE 3 AGE 5 AGE 7 AGE11
|
Mother Mother Mother Mother Mother
|
Father Father Father Father Father
|
Child Child Child Child
Older
Siblings
Older
Siblings
Teachers Teachers
Education
records
Education
records
Birth
records
Medical
records
Medical
records
Medical
records
Economic
records
18,552 15,590 15,246 13,857 13287
10. Age 11 Survey: Child Self Completion
• 28 page paper self-completion
• Family & friends
• School
• Things done outside school
• The area they live in
• Things they may have done – anti social behaviour
• Things they may have tried – incl. alcohol & smoking
• How they feel
• Growing up
Centre for Longitudinal Studies | www.cls.ioe.ac.uk
11. What’s New in MCS6
Centre for Longitudinal Studies | www.cls.ioe.ac.uk
12. MCS6: Content of the Age 14 Survey
Main Parent Partner parent Young Person
Interview & Self
completion
Interview & Self
completion
Self completion
questionnaire (40 mins)
Cognitive assessment:
word activity
Cognitive assessment:
word activity
Cognitive assessment:
word activity
decision making task (CGT)
Physical Measurements:
height
weight
body fat
Saliva Sample*
(*Biological parents only)
Saliva Sample*
(*Biological parents only)
Saliva Sample
DNA
Accelerometer
Time Use Diary
13. MCS6 Designing a survey for teenagers
• Recontact exercise (Pre MCS6)
participant pack sent to young people only
a letter – including a pop-out membership card.
a booklet – providing information about the study, the impact of the
study and how findings have been used, what the study covers, what
happens to the data collected and information about the CNC team.
Swag : a keyring, a travel-card holder and a notebook.
•Website redesign – more YP focussed
http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/cnc/default.aspx
•Using social media - Facebook, &Twitter
• Rebranding of all materials to appeal to teens
Centre for Longitudinal Studies | www.cls.ioe.ac.uk
14. Who does the work?
• Scientific team in house
– Limited funding for analysis, funding primarily
to create a data resource.
• Wide range of academic advisers/ users
• Survey team and tracing team
• Data team
• Dissemination via UK Data Archive
