Life course pathways to ageing: MRC National Survey of Health and Development feasibility study

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The MRC National Survey of Health and Development is a representative sample (N=5,362) of the large post-war birth cohort, now poised to increase the elderly population. Since birth their health and socio-economic circumstances have been measured 22 times, making a uniquely detailed lifelong data. set. We shall extend our study of lifetime determinants of ageing trajectories by measuring again biological function and physical and cognitive capacity (e.g. blood pressure, respiratory function, grip strength, standing balance and verbal memory). We shall also study ageing by measuring for the first time arterial and myocardial function and structure, and bone and body composition, because by 60 years pre-clinical changes but few disease events have occurred. These measures necessitate a clinic visit, requiring travel and more time commitments from study members than our usual home visit. This proposal seeks funding for a feasibility study at the Manchester Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility to test (1) the response of a sample of these lifelong volunteers to the clinic invitation and measures; (2) the timing of the clinic schedule; and (3) the data flow and assessment procedures. Collecting the proposed data on the whole cohort would enable us to study how functional decline and cardiovascular and musculoskeletal ageing are associated with early life factors (such as early growth, cognition, nutrition and family socioeconomic circumstances), working independently, cumulatively or interactively with changes in adult life factors (such as body size, diet, exercise, smoking, exercise and socioeconomic circumstances), and genetic sources of risk. We would also study lifetime explanations for social and gender inequalities in ageing, and the impact of ageing on quality of life. In due course the new measures would be valuable as risk indicators for onset of physical frailty and cognitive impairment, fracture and cardiovascular events.