Understanding the economic, social and health impacts of COVID-19 using lifetime data: evidence from 5 nationally representative UK cohorts
Lead Research Organisation:
University College London
Department Name: Social Science
Abstract
There is an urgent need to understand the economic, social and health impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, the extent to which it is widening or narrowing inequalities, and the lifelong factors which shape vulnerability and resilience to its effects.
We propose survey data collection and novel linkages in the UK's unique series of five national longitudinal cohort studies which have captured detailed social, economic, developmental, behavioural, attitudinal, and physical and mental health data on large representative samples
since birth. The cohorts cover key life stages from late adolescence (19/20), early adulthood (30/31), mid-life (50) and older age (62, and 74).
A rapid first COVID web-survey was successfully issued in-house in all five cohorts in May 2020 (n=18,148). We propose two further web surveys in August and November 2020, to capture the evolving circumstances of study participants across multiple life domains, including in health, work, and social life. This will be combined with the rich social and biomedical life course data already collected within these cohorts, to identify inequalities in the short, medium and long-term effects of the crisis, and to understand how different lifetime trajectories either mitigate or exacerbate its effects.
Novel data from a COVID symptoms tracking app, and a range of geo-environmental indicators including green space and air pollution will also be linked. The latter are hypothesised to modify the mental and physical health effects of the crisis.
The data collected will be made rapidly available to researchers via UK Data Service, and a series of policy briefings, and academic papers will be produced.
We propose survey data collection and novel linkages in the UK's unique series of five national longitudinal cohort studies which have captured detailed social, economic, developmental, behavioural, attitudinal, and physical and mental health data on large representative samples
since birth. The cohorts cover key life stages from late adolescence (19/20), early adulthood (30/31), mid-life (50) and older age (62, and 74).
A rapid first COVID web-survey was successfully issued in-house in all five cohorts in May 2020 (n=18,148). We propose two further web surveys in August and November 2020, to capture the evolving circumstances of study participants across multiple life domains, including in health, work, and social life. This will be combined with the rich social and biomedical life course data already collected within these cohorts, to identify inequalities in the short, medium and long-term effects of the crisis, and to understand how different lifetime trajectories either mitigate or exacerbate its effects.
Novel data from a COVID symptoms tracking app, and a range of geo-environmental indicators including green space and air pollution will also be linked. The latter are hypothesised to modify the mental and physical health effects of the crisis.
The data collected will be made rapidly available to researchers via UK Data Service, and a series of policy briefings, and academic papers will be produced.
Publications
Booth C
(2021)
PARENTAL PERCEPTIONS OF LEARNING LOSS DURING COVID-19 SCHOOL CLOSURES IN 2020
in British Journal of Educational Studies
Bowyer R
(2023)
Characterising patterns of COVID-19 and long COVID symptoms: evidence from nine UK longitudinal studies
in European Journal of Epidemiology
Parsons S.
(2021)
Health care disruption inequalities during Covid-19: Evidence from eleven longitudinal studies
in EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Wielgoszewska B
(2022)
Association between home working and mental health by key worker status during the Covid-19 pandemic. Evidence from four British longitudinal studies.
in Industrial health
Bann D
(2021)
Changes in the behavioural determinants of health during the COVID-19 pandemic: gender, socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in five British cohort studies.
in Journal of epidemiology and community health
| Description | We are currently analysing the data to highlight important ways in which people's lives changed during the first year of the pandemic and have produced a series of briefing papers highlighting key findings from the data, including on people's family life, employment, finances and mental health. We have published multiple briefings and a number of pre-print publications and journal articles. Taken as a whole, they have highlighted inequalities between young and old; rich and poor; men and women; and ethnic minorities in their experiences of the pandemic. These are likely to shape the pandemic's lasting impacts in the years to come. Women vs men: Our briefings on time use, and employment and finances showed that mothers spent around twice as much time as fathers on home schooling, and other interactive activity with children, like playing, reading, and doing puzzles compared to men during the first lockdown. Mothers especially those with children of primary school age or younger, were considerably more likely than fathers of children at the same age, to have stopped work. Younger vs older: Our briefing on employment and finances highlighted a staggering drop in employment hours at the height of the first lockdown, with by far the biggest drop among the youngest workers. Our work on mental health highlighted the very big differences across generations, with young women - aged 19 and 30 - at the greatest risk of depression, anxiety, loneliness and low life satisfaction. We found that young women (aged 30) showed the biggest increase in mental health problems since they were previously assessed compared to middle-aged (aged 50) and older adults (aged 62). Our briefing on household composition showed a large proportion of young people (aged 19) having moved back into the family home, and associated increases in family conflict. Rich vs poor: Our briefing on employment and finances put a spotlight on the unequal financial effects of the lockdown. Those in each generation who reported that they were already struggling financially before the COVID-19 outbreak were the most likely to report becoming worse off due to lockdown. Those who reported already being comfortably off were the most likely to report having become better off. Self-employed were also especially exposed to economic shocks. Ethnic minorities: Study members were asked a series of questions about their trust in government: BAME cohort members in younger generations showed much lower average levels of trust in government compared to their white counterparts. Some specific findings have been: Parenting With schools closed, mothers were more likely than fathers to stop working to help educate their children. Our briefing on parenting and time use in the CLS cohorts showed that mothers in our survey spent around double the time than fathers on home schooling. We were the first national COVID-19 study to look at parental time use, not just on schooling, but on other interactive activity with children, like playing, reading, and doing puzzles. Related to this, our briefing on finances and employment showed that mothers took the brunt of the reduction in work compared to fathers. While 30- and 50-year-old men and women without dependent children showed a similar rate of stopping work, mothers were much more likely to have stopped work than fathers, especially when their children were at younger ages. The same report highlighted a staggering drop in employment hours at the height of the lockdown, including a 40% overall reduction in working hours from March to May 2020 across four cohorts aged 19, 30, 50 and 62. The biggest drop was among the youngest workers. This briefing also put a spotlight on the unequal financial effects of the UK's lockdown. We have shown that those in each generation who reported that they were already struggling financially before the COVID-19 outbreak were the most likely to report becoming worse off due to lockdown (Figure 2a). Those who reported already being comfortably off were the most likely to report having become better off . Mental health Another important theme of our work is in mental health. Our briefing on mental health during the lockdown highlights the large mental health differences across generations, with young people - especially women aged 19 and 30 - at the greatest risk of depression, anxiety, loneliness and low life satisfaction. Looking at change is a key benefit of a longitudinal study. We found that young women (aged 30) showed the biggest increase in mental health problems since they were previously assessed some years before compared to middle-aged (aged 50) and older adults (aged 62). While this change in mental health will reflect change that may naturally occur at this stage of life, as well as change attributable to the pandemic, this finding chimes with other studies which have also shown that young women have experienced the largest increase in mental health problems due to COVID-19. Health behaviours We asked study participants to report on whether their levels of sleep and exercise, and their diet and alcohol consumption had changed during lockdown. Our research shows that the average amount of sleep across generations was either similar or slightly higher during lockdown, compared to before. The youngest group (aged 19) reported, on average, increased amounts of sleep compared to the older groups. Across all generations, women, and BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) cohort members in the two youngest groups, tended to report more change in sleep levels, compared to men or White participants. Although average exercise levels remained similar compared to before lockdown, women, people from advantaged backgrounds and White participants were more likely to report becoming more active, compared to men, those from less advantaged backgrounds and BAME study members. In terms of diet and alcohol consumption, members of the youngest cohort were more likely to report greater increases in fruit and vegetable intake than their older counterparts. The Gen Z group reported the greatest reduction in drinking alcohol, and were also most likely to state that they had stopped drinking during lockdown. A major contribution of the datasets generated from this grant has been their use via the National Core Studies and CONVALESENCE grants which draw heavily on these data. A summary of key findings from these two major follow-on grants arising from this grant includes: Society and Health The Coronavirus Job Retention scheme was associated with preservation of health behaviours (eating, drinking, smoking, sleeping habit), similar to those remaining in employment, and more favourable to those who became unemployed. While mental and social wellbeing declined in those furloughed, effects were far less than those who lost their jobs. Social protection policies should be implemented in the post-pandemic recovery period and during future economic crises. Healthcare Disruption The pandemic led to unequal healthcare disruptions. Females, ethnic minorities and the disadvantaged were most effected. Action is needed to prevent the widening of existing health inequalities, and efforts to ensure continuity of care during pandemic-related disruptions may need to be more clearly targeted to those who most need that care. During the first lockdown there were substantial reductions in primary care contacts and hospital admissions nationally (rates for cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory (excluding COVID) fell by 34% in England, 21% in Scotland, and 25% in Wales), with limited recovery once restrictions were removed. Maintaining healthcare access should be a key priority in future public health planning and restrictions. The pandemic had a negative impact on mothers' experiences of pregnancy; however, this did not translate to adverse birth outcomes for babies. During times of restrictions, expectant mothers should be given extra support to maintain their wellbeing. Mental Health People with prior mental ill health were hit harder by pandemic disruption. Inequality between those with and without mental health problems should be taken into account when provisioning current and post-pandemic health, economic and well-being support. A substantial deterioration in mental health seen during the first lockdown did not reverse when lockdown lifted: Lockdown alone is not responsible for the decline in mental health. There is a need for investment of mental health support to address all underlying causes. Long COVID Current recording of long COVID in primary care is very low, and variable between practices. Increased awareness of diagnostic codes is recommended Risk factors for long COVID have been identified: long COVID is associated with women, middle-age and pre-existing health factors, including asthma. Understanding explanations for differential risk could both identify high risk groups and causal mechanisms for intervention. Vaccination People with learning disabilities were identified as a group for early vaccination. Ethnic differences in vaccine uptake were reported. Breakthrough infections post vaccination are infrequent, less severe and more likely to occur in older care home residents, and immunocompromised individuals. While the AZ (but not the Pfizer) vaccine was associated with greater risks of blood clots, these events are rare and outweighed by the considerable benefit of vaccination. Factors for a low antibody response after vaccination have been identified. These findings have important implications for current and future booster plans. Risk Some minority ethnic populations in England have excess risks of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 and of adverse COVID-19 outcomes compared with the White population. Tackling ethnic inequalities will require action across many fronts, including reducing structural inequalities, addressing barriers to equitable care, and improving uptake of testing and vaccination. A proportion of patients were inappropriately switched from warfarin to a direct oral anticoagulant during lockdown. A national alert was subsequently issued to practices. Caution should be taken to ensure that future changes to ongoing therapy during times of restriction are safe. A substantial drop in the incidence of cardiometabolic and pulmonary events was observed in the non-COVID-19 general population. This suggests that people are not presenting to health care early in the course of disease, when treatment would be most effective at delaying progression to severe disease. This work has implications for a) ensuring people do present early, and b) health and care provision in the long term. Outcomes Rates of vascular disease after COVID-19 diagnosis remain elevated up to 49 weeks after COVID-19. These results support continued policies to avoid COVID-19 infection with effective COVID-19 vaccines and use of secondary preventive agents in high-risk patients. Cardiometabolic and pulmonary adverse outcomes are markedly raised following hospitalisation for COVID-19 compared to the general population.: Identifying patients at particularly high risk of outcomes can inform targeted preventive measures. Large numbers of people have been hospitalised with COVID-19 during the pandemic, and the raised risks of re-admission to hospital in these individuals could significantly impact public health and resources. Risks might be minimised or mitigated by increasing monitoring of patients in the months following hospital discharge, and greater awareness among patients and clinicians of potential problems. |
| Exploitation Route | The COVID19 pandemic and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented in response have led to a drastic change in the daily lives of the UK population. Understanding how people's economic, social and health related outcomes evolve has considerable policy importance, since the pandemic is not only an infectious disease crisis but also an economic and social crisis. Inequalities in these outcomes are key, including inequalities associated with demographic characteristics such as ethnicity, age and gender, but also other domains of people's lives present and past (including economic and family circumstances, and physical and mental health) which cannot be adequately studied using administrative data alone. The pandemic has had and will continue to have considerable impacts across the life course. Educational experiences are being affected for a whole generation of children and young adults. The economic crisis is resulting in large-scale job losses and the nature of work is fundamentally changing. Social relationships at all ages are being impacted by the pandemic. Health behaviours are likely to be affected too, with early evidence indicating a slight decrease in smoking, but increases in heavy/binge drinking. Understanding how the impacts of these mechanisms affect different population sub-groups at different life-stages is therefore critical. Combining longitudinal and administrative data in an innovative and timely manner will yield novel and impactful insights that would not otherwise be possible. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/covid-19-survey/findings/ |
| Description | Our findings have all added to the knowledge base in the public sphere on key aspects of policy including in understanding the major, and unequal social and economic consequences of lockdown. The contribution of this grant into the work for the National Core Studies and the CONVALESCENCE long COVID grant has been the primary channel for direct policy impact, including on long COVID risk factors, the effect of the pandemic on mental health, how government initiatives such as the furlough scheme have affected health and health behaviours; and inequalities in healthcare disruption. Findings from these studies have led to Cabinet office 'teach in' sessions, a national GP alert, a NHS enhanced service specification , rapid reports for SAGE, and they have provided key evidence to guide the NICE long COVID guidelines. The team have presented early results from the first wave of the convalescence study qualitative interviews to NHS England, highlighting that long COVID participants are failing at the first hurdle of accessing healthcare. The team also communicated that there is an increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications up to a year after covid-19 infection, even in the absence of persistent symptom reporting. Throughout the project we have worked with the public via our advisory group, to shape and communicate our programme. Public contributors have helped to create material aimed at communicating the results to all stakeholders, including infographics, short videos and an animation. We have also created a long COVID forum to host a diverse and inclusive public/patient conversation on defining and researching long COVID. Further information on impact reports can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/covid-19-longitudinal-health -wellbeing/research-outputs/impact-reports Reports from our public section can be found here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/covid-19-longitudinal-health -wellbeing/public-0 |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | Cabinet Office Long COVID Teach In |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | Cabinet Report |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | Cabinet Report on Inequalities in healthcare disruptions during the Covid-19 pandemic: Evidence from 12 UK population-based longitudinal studies |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| URL | https://www.ucl.ac.uk/covid-19-longitudinal-health-wellbeing/sites/covid_19_longitudinal_health_well... |
| Description | Cabinet Report on mental health inequalities in healthcare, economic, and housing disruption during COVID-19: an investigation in 12 longitudinal studies |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| URL | https://www.ucl.ac.uk/covid-19-longitudinal-health-wellbeing/sites/covid_19_longitudinal_health_well... |
| Description | Enhanced service specification Long COVID 2021/22 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | This NHS Enhanced service specification Long COVID 2021/22, has led to increased number of individuals coded with long COVID, and subsequent referral to specialist services. |
| URL | https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/C1313-ess-long-covid-21-22.pdf |
| Description | Long COVID Update to the NHSEI Long Covid Research Subgroup |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | Characterisation, determinants, mechanisms and consequences of the long-term effects of COVID-19: providing the evidence base for health care services |
| Amount | £9,592,626 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | COV-LT-0009 |
| Organisation | National Institute for Health Research |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2021 |
| End | 02/2024 |
| Description | Covid 19 Longitudinal Health and Wealth - National Core Study (LHW-NCS) - Prof. Nishi Chaturvedi Lead PI - George Ploubidis CLS PI |
| Amount | £5,805,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MC_PC_20030 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2020 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | Covid Social Mobility and Opportunities study (COSMO): Wave 2 |
| Amount | £1,902,132 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/X00015X/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2022 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Description | Phase 1 COVID-19 Longitudinal Health and Wellbeing - National Core Study (Phase1 LHW-NCS) |
| Amount | £9,000,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MC_PC_2-59 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2021 |
| End | 09/2022 |
| Title | COVID-19 Antibody Testing in the NCDS, BCS70, Next Steps and MCS (NEW) |
| Description | COVID-19 Antibody Testing in the National Child Development Study, 1970 British Cohort Study, Next Steps and Millennium Cohort Study. Ths data include information on vaccination and COVID-19 antibodies. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None as yet |
| URL | https://beta.ukdataservice.ac.uk/datacatalogue/studies/study?id=8823 |
| Title | COVID-19 Surveys in NCDS, BCS70, Next Steps and MCS - Waves 1 and 2 |
| Description | Waves 1 and 2 of the COVID-19 Survey in Five National Longitudinal Cohort Studies: Millennium Cohort Study, Next Steps, 1970 British Cohort Study and 1958 National Child Development Study, 2020. The Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) and the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing (LHA) carried out two online surveys of the participants of five national longitudinal cohort studies which have collected insights into the lives of study participants including their physical and mental health and wellbeing, family and relationships, education, work, and finances during the coronavirus pandemic. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None as yet |
| URL | https://beta.ukdataservice.ac.uk/datacatalogue/studies/study?id=8658 |
| Title | COVID-19 Surveys in NCDS, BCS70, Next Steps and MCS - Waves 1-3 (3rd Edition) |
| Description | Waves 1, 2 and 3 of the COVID-19 Survey in Five National Longitudinal Cohort Studies: Millennium Cohort Study, Next Steps, 1970 British Cohort Study and 1958 National Child Development Study, 2020. The Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) and the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing (LHA) carried out three online surveys of the participants of five national longitudinal cohort studies which have collected insights into the lives of study participants including their physical and mental health and wellbeing, family and relationships, education, work, and finances during the coronavirus pandemic. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None as yet |
| URL | https://beta.ukdataservice.ac.uk/datacatalogue/studies/study?id=8658 |
| Title | NCDS, BCS70, Next Steps and MCS Survey research data via CLS DAC |
| Description | The CLS Data Access Committee (CLS DAC) provides bespoke access to CLS research data not available in data sharing platforms : 1) Highly sensitive and/or disclosive data; 2) Data not yet ready for deposit; 3) Paradata ; 4) Novel data linkages; 5) Data enhancements |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | From 01 April 2022 to 28th February 2023, the CLS DAC has approved 29 research projects: 17 for data access and 13 for novel data linkages. By cohort study the numbers are: 13 for NCDS, 10 for BCS70, 11 for Next Steps, 25 for MCS, and 7 for Covid-19 research. NOTE: some applications request data from several cohorts. |
| URL | https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/data-access-training/data-access/accessing-data-directly-from-cls/ |
| Title | NCDS, BCS70, Next Steps and MCS survey data linked to NHS Digital data via the UKLLC |
| Description | The UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC) is used by CLS for onward sharing of NCDS, BCS70, Next Steps and MCS survey data and Covid-19 responses and NHS Digital data centrally linked by the UK LLC |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC) is a Trusted Research Environment set up in 2021 to bring together information from longitudinal study volunteers with their routine records. The aim is to enable researchers' work to improve health and wellbeing throughout and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. We have sent NCDS, BCS70, Next Steps and MCS survey data and Covid-19 responses, which are now linked to NHS Digital records. From 01 April 2021 to 28th February 2023 CLS has approved 5 research projects that use CLS cohort data. |
| URL | https://ukllc.ac.uk/datasets/ |
| Title | New urban/rural measure |
| Description | Using OS Topographic Layer data to create a new urban/rural measure based on the coverage of roads and buildings in a set of 400m, 800m and 1600m circular buffers around the postcode of all respondents who took part in any sweep of the COVID-19 survey. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | None as yet. |
| Title | UKLLC: NCDS, BCS70, Next Steps and MCS survey data and Covid-19 responses for centralised linkage with NHS Digital records |
| Description | The UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC) has been set up to bring together information from longitudinal study volunteers with their routine records. This is being done in a secure way to help researchers work to improve health and wellbeing throughout and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. We have sent NCDS, BCS70, Next Steps and MCS survey data and Covid-19 responses for centralised linkage with NHS Digital records |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None as yet |
| URL | https://ukllc.ac.uk/datasets/ |
| Description | Collaboration with Co-Space Study team |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Department | Department of Psychiatry |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Contributed to survey design for young person COVID-19 questionnaire, data analysis and write up of findings and reports |
| Collaborator Contribution | Co-space study and team were led by Cathy Cresswell who set up the study, designed the questionnaire for parents, secured funding and managed recruitment, data collection, data cleaning. |
| Impact | Reports on young people's mental health during COVID19 pandemic, peer-reviewed papers |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Alissa and Emla meet with Early Intervention Foundation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Alissa Goodman and Emla Fitzsimons have held several meetings with Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) to discuss joint research/dissemination events. The Director of Evidence at EIF initiated these discussions following Alissa's request for the Director to sit on the Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study Advisory Board. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
| Description | Alissa joins High-Level Policy Expert Meeting hosted by Institute for Demographic Research in Germany |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa was personally invited to join a High-Level Policy Expert Meeting hosted by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany, November 2022 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Blog: How the UK's longitudinal studies are helping society navigate the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Professor Alissa Goodman contributed to the CLOSER blog series with a comment piece about the COVID-19 web survey sent to participants of five longitudinal studies. Prof Goodman explained the aims of the survey and summarised key findings from the first wave. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.closer.ac.uk/news-opinion/blog/how-the-uks-longitudinal-studies-are-helping-society/ |
| Description | CLS Away days |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Between 6 and 8 June 2022, over 60 CLS staff as well as scientific collaborators outside CLS attended a residential away days at Cumberland Lodge. A two day programme covered a range of activities including centre culture, how teams work together and across the centre, new ways of working, an update to the new CLS studies and an introduction to the policy work done at CLS. As well as making important future plans, feedback suggested that attendees got many benefits from attending. It also improved morale in the centre and allowed for important networking with collaborators. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | COVID-19 Survey in Five National Longitudinal Studies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk on "COVID-19 Survey: Derivation and implementation of non-response weights" to researchers and postgraduate students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | COVID-19 survey campaign |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | During the coronavirus pandemic, we have been running a series of surveys to find out about the experiences of the participants in five national longitudinal cohort studies. The aim is to understand the economic, social and health impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, the extent to which the pandemic is widening or narrowing inequalities, and the lifelong factors which shape vulnerability and resilience to its effects. We have completed two waves of the survey so far (in May and September 2020) and a third wave is now underway. Participants in all four of the national longitudinal cohort studies that we manage at CLS, as well as participants in the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, have taken part. Throughout the COVID-19 surveys, we have published briefings, working papers and news items on the corporate channels to engage researchers, policymakers, charities and the general public. Since May 2020, we published 7 briefings and working papers and 9 news items (including 2 press releases) on the CLS website, and 47 tweets on the CLS Twitter channel. We have also published regularly on participant channels to increase participation in the study. We published 8 news items on each of the 4 participant websites (NCDS, BCS70, Next Steps and MCS), as well as 10 Facebook posts (on each Facebook page: BCS70, Next Steps and MCS) and 10 tweets (on each Twitter page: Next Steps and MCS). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| URL | https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/covid-19-survey/ |
| Description | CTV News Channel interview on Covid-19 research findings around work hours and parenting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa Goodman gave a live interview to CTV News Channel in Toronto, following the release of our research findings on how the pandemic has impacted working hours and parenting. (August 2020) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | IOE London blog - How did trust in the UK government change through the Covid-19 pandemic? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Professor Dick Wiggins and Dr Sam Parsons published a blog on the IOE London blog site discussing their research on trust in the UK government during the Covid-19 pandemic. The blog coincided with Prof Wiggins' presentation at the Society for Longitudinal and Lifecourse Studies (SLLS) International Annual conference in Cleveland, Ohio. Using data from four cohort studies, the research found that trust in government declined as the pandemic progressed, although there was some evidence of an upturn in trust during the early part of 2021, which coincided with the promise of a national vaccine rollout and a planned return to face-to-face education for all children and students. The blog post has so far received 172 views on the IOE blog site. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/2022/10/21/how-did-trust-in-the-uk-government-change-through-the-covid-1... |
| Description | Interview for Nature: Thousands of people will help scientists to track the long-term health effects of the coronavirus crisis |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In May 2020, Alissa Goodman was interviewed for and quoted in an article in Nature about the importance of cohort data for understanding the economic, social and health impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01643-8 |
| Description | LBC News Radio interview on Covid-19 research findings around work hours and parenting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa Goodman was interviewed live on LBC News Radio in London about CLS' findings on the pandemic's impact on work and parenting. (July 2020) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Life during the pandemic: evidence from five national cohorts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Nuffield College Sociology Seminar; Invited seminar at Nuffield College University of Oxford |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Mental health and Covid-19 -evidence from multiple population studies Psych-Epidemiology Conference in Cambridge |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Organised symposium with other NCS team members to present latest findings, including impact of working from home on mental health and wellbeing. The conference attracts a wide group of experts in the field. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Mental health and Covid-19 -evidence from multiple population studies at LHRS in Oxford 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presented findings on how Mental Health changed throughout the pandemic and how Covid-19 infection impacted different mental health and wellbeing outcomes. The audience was researchers from international institutions with similar interests. Taking part led to knew collaborations with Brazil cohort study researchers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Mental health in six British cohorts: Recent findings and future direction |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited seminar, hosted by the ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, King's College London |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.kcl.ac.uk/events/mental-health-in-six-british-cohorts-recent-findings-and-future-directi... |
| Description | Missing Data in Longitudinal and Linked Surveys 2020: A joint CeMMAP and Understanding Society workshop series |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk on "Handling non-response in COVID-19 surveys across five national longitudinal studies" to researchers and postgraduate students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Online workshop: COVID-19 Data Dive - Exploring the social and economic impacts of the pandemic |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On 22-23 October 2020, CLS participated in and supported this online 'hackathon' hosted by the UK Data Service. Participants worked in small teams alongside different experts from other organisations, including data producers, policymakers and charities, and were able to link with other related datasets, to find new areas of research interest. The event enabled participants to utilise and explore the major COVID-19 studies, gain insights from the data providers and policy experts, gain practical experience of manipulating data and examine themes and explore new research questions. There were 86 delegates registered for the event (61 in attendance). Delegates scored the event an average of 9.2/10 on satisfaction and 8.5/10 on relevance to their work. Some comments from delegates include: "An excellent event. The mix between the background, theory and the examples was really useful." and "Well done to everyone involved in organising the event, and the presenters for providing a range of helpful information & guidance." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/events/covid-19-data-dive-exploring-the-social-and-economic-impacts-of-the-pan... |
| Description | Participant mailing: BCS70 2021 birthday mailing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | In April 2021, CLS sent its annual study update and birthday card to members of the 1970 British Cohort Study. The update this year included discoveries from the first COVID-19 survey and key findings from the study about health. It also explored the influence of childhood circumstances on adult happiness. The booklet also prompted study members to update their contact details. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://bcs70.info/resources/ |
| Description | Participant mailing: NCDS 2022 birthday mailing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | In March 2021, CLS sent its annual study update and birthday card to members of the National Child Development Study. The update included information about the Life in Your Early 60s Survey, and covered some of the latest NCDS news and research. It also highlighted some of key findings from the COVID-19 surveys. The booklet also prompted study members to update their contact details. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://ncds.info/resources/ |
| Description | Policy Institute interview for series on social sciences responding to COVID-19 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Alissa Goodman was approached by the Policy Institute at King's College London working with Campaign for Social Science to record an interview as a part of a series highlighting the role of social sciences in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. (July 2020) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://campaignforsocialscience.org.uk/hub-of-hubs-social-sciences-responding-to-covid-19/ |
| Description | Presentation of Wiegoleszewska paper to SLLS confernence by Heather Joshi |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Paper became a contribution to an international collection about the consequences of natural disasters. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10161243/ |
| Description | Press release - Poor mental health doubled likelihood of experiencing financial hardship during pandemic |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A press release was issued to media outlets to promote new cross-cohort research using data from the 1958 and 1970 British birth cohorts. Co-authored by Dr Vanessa Moulton, the study found that up to one in five adults with a history of poor mental health reported they were 'much worse off' financially a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to one in ten of those who had never had psychological problems in adulthood. The research findings were covered by specialist medical websites, including Medical Xpress and international websites, such as Mirage News. A related news item was published on the CLS and IOE websites, receiving 84 and 17 views respectively. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-poor-mental-health-likelihood-experiencing.html |
| Description | Roundtable organised by Nuffield Foundation on The Changing Face of Early Childhood |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa Goodman was personally invited to present at a roundtable organised by the Nuffield Foundation about their project on The Changing Face of Early Childhood and the early implications of Covid-19 for young children now. (May 2020) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Symposium on mental health inequalities during the pandemic at EPA Section of Epidemiology and Social Psychiatry Congress, Cambridge November 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Organisation and participation in symposium ("Perspectives on mental health inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic: qualitative & quantitative evidence over the life course from cohort studies") presenting evidence on mental health inequalities across the life course during the pandemic |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Talk on intersectional inequalities in mental health during the pandemic at EPA Section of Epidemiology and Social Psychiatry Congress, Cambridge November 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation ("A quantitative approach to the intersectional study of mental health inequities in UK young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic") of results from research on inequalities in young adults during the pandemic across multiple intersectional strata |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | UCL Quantitative Social Science Seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk on "Handling non-response in COVID-19 surveys across five national longitudinal studies" to researchers and postgraduate students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | UK Data Service COVID-19 Data Dive |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk on "Introduction to the CLS National Longitudinal Studies" to researchers and postgraduate students. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | UKDS Blog post: Behind the scenes of collaborating on a Covid-19 National Core Study |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We've asked our #DataImpactFellows to respond to the theme of 'communicating/translating data-driven research'. In this post, Bozena Wielgoszewska reflects on the importance of good communication in her collaboration on the Covid-19 Longitudinal Health and Wellbeing National Core Study, a project that is generating new data-driven insights into the Covid-19 furlough scheme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://blog.ukdataservice.ac.uk/behind-the-scenes-collaboration/ |
| Description | Webinar: CLS COVID-19 survey online training session |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On 6 August 2020, CLS ran an online training session to support researchers wishing to use data from our recent COVID-19 survey. This training session was hosted on Microsoft Teams and featured: - an introduction to the data collection and how the data can be accessed - a demonstration on how to use the weights and some simple commands to generate descriptive statistics by cohort - an introduction to the time use question, and a research case-study - the design of the mental health and wellbeing questions, and research case-study - a Q&A session to support researchers. There were 86 delegates registered for the event (61 in attendance) and 104 views of the recordings posted on the CLS Youtube channel after the event. Delegates scored the event an average of 9.2/10 on satisfaction and 8.5/10 on relevance to their work. Some comments from delegates include: "Great to get a comprehensive discussion of the weights, and the worked example was a big help." and "Really helpful to hear about the measures used and the very clear explanation about weights! Thank you." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/events/covid-online-training/ |