Professor Dr. Lisa Calderwood, from the University College London (UCL) is going to give a lecture as part of the LIfBi Lectures series.

Longitudinal birth cohort studies are vital for understanding the health, development and outcomes of successive generations of children. The UK has a long and unique history of such studies. The Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study (ELC-FS), funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), is testing the feasibility of conducting a new UK-wide birth cohort study, by collecting information about several thousand babies aged between 8-10 months old and their families. It is led by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at University College London. Evidence from the feasibility study will be used to inform the potential commissioning of a much larger main study which, if a decision is made to proceed, is expected to begin in 2026.

Evidence from previous birth cohort studies has had very significant scientific and policy impact. However, there is increasing recognition that often those families who are of most interest from a research and policy perspective are less likely to be recruited and retained in national studies. To address this, the ELC-FS has a very strong focus on inclusivity and is designed to maximise representation of ‘less often heard’ groups through sample boosts of babies born into disadvantaged and ethnic minority families, as well as in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We use tailored participant engagement strategies and have designed the study to be accessible and inclusive to all types of families.

This lecture will give an overview of the design and implementation of the ELC-FS, with a focus on innovation, engagement and inclusivity, and will present some early findings from the survey relating to response rates, data quality, and the experimental components of the feasibility study.

For up-to-date information please visit www.lifbi.de/lifbilectures.