Enhancing Environmental data Resources In Cohort studies: ALSPAC exemplar (ERICA)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: Social Medicine
Abstract
Keywords: air pollution; cohort studies; NO2; asthma; lung function; information governance; environmental health
Air pollution has a major impact on human health. The Royal College of Physicians - in their 'Every breath we take: the lifelong impact of air pollution' report - estimated that air pollution contributes to 40,000 premature deaths in the UK every year. The report describes how air pollution affects health through life, from babies in their mother's womb, to children and into adulthood. Road traffic is a major source of air pollution in the UK. This produces fine pollution particles (PM), and gases such as Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). We know a lot about the health damage caused by breathing in PMs, but less about the effects of breathing in NO2. Both the UK Government and health professionals have called for more research in this area.
The 'Enhancing Environmental data Resources In Cohort studies: ALSPAC exemplar' (ERICA) project aims to improve our understanding of the health effects of breathing in NO2 through using a birth cohort study. Birth cohort studies recruit large numbers of pregnant women into long-term research projects. Health of these women - and their unborn child(ren) - are monitored through pregnancy, birth and childhood. Health information can be linked with information on air pollution exposure during a child's lifetime to investigate important questions, e.g. are children living in high NO2 pollution areas more likely to develop asthma? Evidence from such studies helps the public, health professionals, and politicians understand the impact of air pollution on health, and how much effort and money should be spent on reducing levels of pollution.
However, the ability to do this important type of research may be held back by a range of issues and concerns. Firstly, studies need to find historical information on air pollution, and to understand how the records were collected over long periods of time. Secondly, estimating air pollution exposures across a city and surrounding areas and linking this to information on where children live and go to school requires specialist skills. Thirdly, information on where a person lives is private and needs to be kept confidential. The laws and regulations governing how to do this and the use of personal data are changing rapidly.
ERICA aims to find solutions to these issues by using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort study to investigate the health impacts of NO2 pollution. The first part of the study will source information on air pollution exposure. ERICA will work with Bristol City Council (where many ALSPAC participants lived in pregnancy) and environmental scientists to collect historical information about local air pollution exposures. They will use these and other data to estimate NO2 exposures at participants' home and school locations, to provide a picture of NO2 exposure over a child's lifetime. Data security and privacy experts will advise on the best way to keep data confidential, in discussion with ALSPAC study participants.
ERICA will then conduct a health study to investigate whether higher levels of NO2 exposure are associated with development of asthma and if they affect lung growth. We will promote the findings of this research to scientists, health professionals and politicians to help them further understand the impact of NO2 pollution. ALSPAC will also be promoted as a resource to investigate the impact of air pollution in childhood on a range of diseases and measures of health.
Finally, we will share the methods we have developed with the data managers in other cohort studies. ERICA will help show how feasible it is to use a birth cohort study to conduct research on the impact of the environment on health, and to form a model that could be used to benefit environmental health research in other cohorts and expanded to other environmental exposures as well as air pollution.
Air pollution has a major impact on human health. The Royal College of Physicians - in their 'Every breath we take: the lifelong impact of air pollution' report - estimated that air pollution contributes to 40,000 premature deaths in the UK every year. The report describes how air pollution affects health through life, from babies in their mother's womb, to children and into adulthood. Road traffic is a major source of air pollution in the UK. This produces fine pollution particles (PM), and gases such as Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2). We know a lot about the health damage caused by breathing in PMs, but less about the effects of breathing in NO2. Both the UK Government and health professionals have called for more research in this area.
The 'Enhancing Environmental data Resources In Cohort studies: ALSPAC exemplar' (ERICA) project aims to improve our understanding of the health effects of breathing in NO2 through using a birth cohort study. Birth cohort studies recruit large numbers of pregnant women into long-term research projects. Health of these women - and their unborn child(ren) - are monitored through pregnancy, birth and childhood. Health information can be linked with information on air pollution exposure during a child's lifetime to investigate important questions, e.g. are children living in high NO2 pollution areas more likely to develop asthma? Evidence from such studies helps the public, health professionals, and politicians understand the impact of air pollution on health, and how much effort and money should be spent on reducing levels of pollution.
However, the ability to do this important type of research may be held back by a range of issues and concerns. Firstly, studies need to find historical information on air pollution, and to understand how the records were collected over long periods of time. Secondly, estimating air pollution exposures across a city and surrounding areas and linking this to information on where children live and go to school requires specialist skills. Thirdly, information on where a person lives is private and needs to be kept confidential. The laws and regulations governing how to do this and the use of personal data are changing rapidly.
ERICA aims to find solutions to these issues by using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort study to investigate the health impacts of NO2 pollution. The first part of the study will source information on air pollution exposure. ERICA will work with Bristol City Council (where many ALSPAC participants lived in pregnancy) and environmental scientists to collect historical information about local air pollution exposures. They will use these and other data to estimate NO2 exposures at participants' home and school locations, to provide a picture of NO2 exposure over a child's lifetime. Data security and privacy experts will advise on the best way to keep data confidential, in discussion with ALSPAC study participants.
ERICA will then conduct a health study to investigate whether higher levels of NO2 exposure are associated with development of asthma and if they affect lung growth. We will promote the findings of this research to scientists, health professionals and politicians to help them further understand the impact of NO2 pollution. ALSPAC will also be promoted as a resource to investigate the impact of air pollution in childhood on a range of diseases and measures of health.
Finally, we will share the methods we have developed with the data managers in other cohort studies. ERICA will help show how feasible it is to use a birth cohort study to conduct research on the impact of the environment on health, and to form a model that could be used to benefit environmental health research in other cohorts and expanded to other environmental exposures as well as air pollution.
Planned Impact
This feasibility study aims to provide information to support and help develop environmental health research using health data from British cohorts together with local and national environmental data. As an exemplar it will conduct a study of respiratory health effects of early life NO2 exposure.
Improved understanding to support environmental health research in UK cohorts
Our overarching impact is to provide a clearer understanding as to how cohort managers can integrate environmental information into cohort databanks and subsequently support health and environmental scientists to use these data in their research. To achieve this aim, ERICA will work with national and local data repositories to identify and document longitudinal environmental data that are available for environmental health research. As an exemplar (see below), experienced environmental epidemiologists will supervise cohort data managers to link in an exemplar set of air pollution exposure estimates to place of residence and school of cohort participants. Cohort managers will work with participants to understand privacy concerns and to work with governance and privacy experts to identify means to overcome these concerns. The understanding gained will be developed into a procedural level manual that will provide process details able to roll out air pollution and environmental data integration into CLOSER and other British cohorts. Novel aspects of wider interest will be included in a 'data resource' publication to be submitted to International Journal of Epidemiology (see below). We will also will organise a CLOSER 'Knowledge Exchange Workshop', inviting representatives from: UK cohort studies and CLOSER cohort data-managers; representatives from key biomedical infrastructures (e.g. NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, MRC Farr Institute, ESRC UK Data Archive, ESRC Administrative Data Research Network) and privacy experts (e.g., members of the Isaac Newton Institute 'data linkage and anonymisation' programme); and participant members of the ALSPAC Original Cohort Advisory Panel.
Promoting ALSPAC as a resource
The full scope of the ALSPAC resource for environment and health research will be written up into a 'data resource' publication detailing the available data, the geocoded residential and school linkage 'spine' and the governance and data access arrangements. The enhanced ALSPAC resource will be promoted via the MRC Farr conference and professional networks (NERC, MRC Farr, ADRN, CLOSER etc).
Developing a 'Population Data Laboratory'
With Bristol City Council we will further develop the emerging 'Bristol Digital and Population Health Infrastructure'; a local initiative designed to use cohorts and wider routine records to inform politicians, health professionals and the public about local health challenges (such as those caused by NO2 air pollution).
Providing evidence on health effects of NO2 exposure in early life
Our exemplar study will investigate the effects of NO2 exposure in utero and childhood on later child health respiratory outcomes. This will contribute to the very topical debates on relative importance of NO2 air pollution exposure on health compared with other air pollution constituents. It will also provide information on the contribution of early life air pollution exposures to respiratory health later in childhood.
Improved understanding to support environmental health research in UK cohorts
Our overarching impact is to provide a clearer understanding as to how cohort managers can integrate environmental information into cohort databanks and subsequently support health and environmental scientists to use these data in their research. To achieve this aim, ERICA will work with national and local data repositories to identify and document longitudinal environmental data that are available for environmental health research. As an exemplar (see below), experienced environmental epidemiologists will supervise cohort data managers to link in an exemplar set of air pollution exposure estimates to place of residence and school of cohort participants. Cohort managers will work with participants to understand privacy concerns and to work with governance and privacy experts to identify means to overcome these concerns. The understanding gained will be developed into a procedural level manual that will provide process details able to roll out air pollution and environmental data integration into CLOSER and other British cohorts. Novel aspects of wider interest will be included in a 'data resource' publication to be submitted to International Journal of Epidemiology (see below). We will also will organise a CLOSER 'Knowledge Exchange Workshop', inviting representatives from: UK cohort studies and CLOSER cohort data-managers; representatives from key biomedical infrastructures (e.g. NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, MRC Farr Institute, ESRC UK Data Archive, ESRC Administrative Data Research Network) and privacy experts (e.g., members of the Isaac Newton Institute 'data linkage and anonymisation' programme); and participant members of the ALSPAC Original Cohort Advisory Panel.
Promoting ALSPAC as a resource
The full scope of the ALSPAC resource for environment and health research will be written up into a 'data resource' publication detailing the available data, the geocoded residential and school linkage 'spine' and the governance and data access arrangements. The enhanced ALSPAC resource will be promoted via the MRC Farr conference and professional networks (NERC, MRC Farr, ADRN, CLOSER etc).
Developing a 'Population Data Laboratory'
With Bristol City Council we will further develop the emerging 'Bristol Digital and Population Health Infrastructure'; a local initiative designed to use cohorts and wider routine records to inform politicians, health professionals and the public about local health challenges (such as those caused by NO2 air pollution).
Providing evidence on health effects of NO2 exposure in early life
Our exemplar study will investigate the effects of NO2 exposure in utero and childhood on later child health respiratory outcomes. This will contribute to the very topical debates on relative importance of NO2 air pollution exposure on health compared with other air pollution constituents. It will also provide information on the contribution of early life air pollution exposures to respiratory health later in childhood.
Publications
Shiells K
(2022)
Participant acceptability of 'digital footprint' data collection strategies: evidence from the ALSPAC birth cohort study
in International Journal of Population Data Science
Fuertes E
(2020)
Residential greenspace and lung function up to 24 years of age: The ALSPAC birth cohort.
in Environment international
Boyd A
(2019)
Data Resource Profile: The ALSPAC birth cohort as a platform to study the relationship of environment and health and social factors.
in International journal of epidemiology
De Vocht F
(2019)
Residential exposure to radon and DNA methylation across the lifecourse: an exploratory study in the ALSPAC birth cohort
in Wellcome Open Research
| Description | The primary objective of this award was to promote the use of natural environment data to understand health outcomes using longitudinal cohort studies. To do this an interdisciplinary team of cohort specialists, research experts from the health and natural environment communities was brought together to enhance the capabilities of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC, also known as 'Children of the 90s') to link environmental exposure estimates (e.g. air pollution data) into the study databank in order to inform research studies. To do this the team conducted two exemplar research projects: 1) modelled NO2 air pollution data and aimed to use this to investigate the impact of air pollution in pregnancy on later lung function outcomes; and 2) whether different levels of radon air pollution in homes led to changes in DNA methylation (the process where genetic activity is expressed differently without changing the actual DNA sequence). We successfully enhanced the capability of ALSPAC to run this type of research project. ALSPAC record linkage staff were trained by environmental scientists in new skills, and the team built new software and new data management processes to make this process accurate and efficient. The researchers worked with study participants in order to understand their views on how this should do; and some participants helped write up this research. We are promoting the resource to make sure it is discoverable and accessible to the research community. We have summarised the resource in a 'Data Resource Profile' manuscript published by the International Journal of Epidemiology (Boyd A, Thomas R, Hansell AL, Gulliver J, Hicks LM, Griggs R, Vande Hey J, Taylor CM, Morris T, Golding J, Doerner R. Data Resource Profile: The ALSPAC birth cohort as a platform to study the relationship of environment and health and social factors. Int j epidemiol. 2019 Apr 21) and have promoted the new resource via our website (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/our-data/environment-data/) and at conferences and workshops. We have modelled NO2 pollution data for the Bristol area (where ALSPAC is based) and this is being used in several research studies. Our research into Radon exposure and DNA methylation found some associations between the level of Radon in homes and methylation patterns at different points across the genome. More research is needed to understand this, and more work is needed to ensure the estimated levels of radon in individual homes is accurate (de Vocht F, Suderman M, Ruano-Ravina A, Thomas R, Wakeford R, Relton C, Tilling K, Boyd A. Residential exposure to radon and DNA methylation across the life-course: an exploratory study in the ALSPAC birth cohort. Wellcome Open Research. 2019 Jan 7;4. Available from: https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/4-3/v1). The fundamental infrastructure for using spatial data in ALSPAC is now enabling multiple research projects: * Understanding the mechanisms linking the urban environment to psychotic experiences across the lifespan (ALSPAC Ref:B3309), PI: Jo Newbury, University of Bristol, https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/129914 * The role of neighbourhood conditions in mental health responses to the Covid-19 lockdown (ALSPAC Ref: B3532), PI: Jo Newbury, University of Bristol, https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/130129 * Childhood diet and nutrition and respiratory and allergic outcomes a longitudinal study (ALSPAC Ref: B3053), PI: Seif Shaheen, Barts & LSHTM, https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/127335 * Environment-wide association study for adiposity in ALSPAC (ALSPAC Ref: 3383), PI: Jane Zhao, The University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong), https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/129980 * Environmental exposures in pregnancy and early life influencing cognitive and cardio-respiratory development (ALSPAC Ref: B3412), PI: Anna Hansell, University of Leicester, https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/130012 * The power of the environment Environmental mediation of genetic liability (ALSPAC Ref: B3460), PI: Moritz Herle, Kings College London, https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/130053 * Geographical variation in the genetic and environmental aetiology of physical and mental health in a single city region (ALSPAC Ref: B3061), PI: Oliver Davis, University of Bristol, https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/127329 * Effect of prenatal and early childhood fluoride exposure on cognitive outcomes of children A pilot study (ALSPAC Ref: B3240), PI: Vida Zhoori, Teeside University, https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/129845 * Econometrics of loneliness (ALSPAC Ref: 3245), PI: Claryn Kung, Monash University (Australia), https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/129850 * Lung function growth and residential greenness in the ALSPAC cohort (ALSPAC Ref: B3099), PI: Elaine Fuertes, Imperial College London, https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/129710 The resource is also contributing to several EU/UK collaborations, including: * LONGITOOLS - H2020 Exposome application (ALSPAC Ref: B3289), PI: Sylvain Sebert, University of Oulu (Finland), https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/129891 * EXPANSE EXposome Powered tools for healthy living in urbAN SEttings (ALSPAC Ref: B3285), PI: Marc Chadeau-Hyam, Imperial College, https://proposals.epi.bristol.ac.uk/?q=node/129925 |
| Exploitation Route | The ALSPAC resource for using natural environment exposure data is being promoted to scientists. Many different scientists are expressing an interest in using these data and are either applying for new data extracts or for ALSPAC's support for funding applications to do this. The new capabilities and skills provided by this grant are allowing ALSPAC to manage this in a secure and efficient manner that is compatible with participant expectations. The insights from ERICA's testing of participant acceptability around the use and inclusion of spatial data in the cohort has contributed to an ESRC commissioned report on the acceptability of novel sources of data in longitudinal research studies (Boyd A, Shiells K, Di Cara N, Skatova A, Davis OSP, Haworth CMA, Skinner AL, Thomas R, Tanner AR, Macleod J, Timpson NJ. (2019). Participant acceptability of 'digital footprint' data collection strategies: evidence from the ALSPAC birth cohort study. Bristol, UK: University of Bristol.). This report is contributing to ESRC considerations for the designs of a potential new longitudinal cohort. The infrastructure capability built for ALSPAC in this award is now being scaled up to help inform the design of the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC) which is a major new UK infrastructure investment designed to support the UK's National Core Studies for COVID-19 research. The UK LLC will for the first time establish a Trusted Research Environment for longitudinal research; where ~15 major UK longitudinal studies with 1-2m participants will deposit COVID-19 relevant data and have the UK LLC systematically establish linkages to health, administrative and environmental records for these participants. The integrated data will be made available for COVID-19 research designed to inform the UK's most pressing research questions. This award informs the design for the linkage and data management of environmental records as well as an understanding of which safeguards are needed to ensure this work is secure and acceptable. This project has helped demonstrate the ability of cohort studies - like ALSPAC - to contribute their unique data resources to scientific investigations of this type. The project team have been promoting their experiences and insights to other studies. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Environment,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| URL | http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/our-data/environment-data/ |
| Description | Insights and mechanisms developed through ERICA in ALSPAC were used to develop the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration - a new national Trusted Research Environment which has brought together >20 longitudinal studies and >200,000 participants linked study, health and environmental data into a single secure server. This is a component of the Longitudinal Health & Wellbeing National Core Study and supports the UK Chief Scientific Advisor's National Core Study programme. The resource is being used by various government departments including the Health & Safety Executive and is informing the development of the Clean Air Programme's data strategy for integrating health and environmental data. Using skills and information gained through the ERICA program, we are contributing material to an ALSPAC themed exhibit at the 'We the curious' science museum. 'We the Curious' is a science and arts centre located in the centre of Bristol. It is one of the UK's largest science centres and a major tourist attraction in the South West of the UK. The centre has >250 interactive exhibits. In 2020 We the Curious has been working with the ALSPAC birth cohort to develop new interactive exhibits based on ALSPAC data. the 'PEARL' record linkage team - which ran the NERC ERICA award have contributed geo-spatial information to the development of the exhibit. This was done using skills and enhancements made during the ERICA award. The exhibit has not gone live yet, so the impact is not yet known. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Description | UKRI Clean Air Programme Data Science Integration Steering Group |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| URL | https://www.ukcleanair.org/projects/clean-air-framework/ |
| Description | COVID-19 Longitudinal Health and Wellbeing - National Core Study (LWH-NCS) |
| Amount | £9,862,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MC_PC_20030 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2020 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | LONGITUDINAL ADMINISTRATIVE DATA SPINE SCOPING PROJECT GRANT FOR THE SPF UK POPULATION LAB WAVE I |
| Amount | £236,901 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/S016732/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2018 |
| End | 03/2019 |
| Description | Using birth cohorts to understand the impact of urban green space on child health and wellbeing |
| Amount | £79,929 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2081026 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2018 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Title | Data Access Agreement (DAA) data sharing contract |
| Description | The data access agreement is a new data sharing contract which is compatible with contemporary legislative (e.g. General Data Protection Regulations) and research governance expectations. It aligns with ALSPAC's Online Proposal System for efficient generation of specified and controlled data requests. Importantly, the DAA enables the replication of third-party data owner requirements and the addition of particular governance controls for specific datasets (e.g. geo-spatial datasets), and as such is an important element in ALSPAC's process to allow onward sharing of linked health, geo-spatial and social records. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The DAA is a central component in ALSPAC's negotiations with NHS Digital to enable onward sharing of linked records. |
| URL | http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/access/ |
| Title | Data Privacy Impact Assessment Process |
| Description | A new privacy assessment tool for ALSPAC which enables the assessment of data flows (i.e. new record linkages or new data sharing with research users) in line with EU General Data Protection Regulation requirements. The tool allows the assessment of diverse risks and particular research scenarios (e.g. the use of geocoded data in the research process, the additional sensitivities of using mental or sexual health records in research investigations. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | Ensuring ALSPAC data sharing is legally compliant. |
| Title | UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC) |
| Description | A novel pan-UK and interdisciplinary Trusted Research Environment for longitudinal research which will host the COVID-19 relevant data of ~15 major UK longitudinal studies and systematically link the participants of these studies to health, administrative and geospatial (natural environment and neighbourhood) records. The UK LLC has a bespoke governance framework that will enable any legitimate researcher to apply for access and subsequently - if approved - gain access to a project specific sub-set of the available data within a secure analysis environment. The UK LLC is designed to be sustainable and scalable to other (non-COVID-19) use cases. It has an active public/participant involvement and engagement aspect which aims to improve the design of the resource through public involvement and to help ensure the resource is sustainable and acceptable. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The UK LLC is a critical component of the Longitudinal Health & Wellbeing National Core Study which has been commissioned by the UK Chief Scientific Advisor in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Title | Bristol region NOx modelled Air Pollution Dataset |
| Description | NOx air pollution data was modelled for the ALSPAC catchment area from 1990 to 2018. In conjunction with ALSPAC participant residential and school geocoding database this enables air pollution data exposure to be estimated and linked to participants. Using the ALGAE software ALSPAC can estimate the exposure with critical development periods (e.g. pregnancy trimesters). Directly measured air pollution records have been collected (from local authority deployed air pollution sensors) and these sensor data will be used to calibrate the modelled data. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The data will be used in an ALSPAC based epidemiological assessment of the impact of in utero NOx exposure and lung-function outcomes. It is also being shared with collaborators at Imperial (London) for use in an assessment of the impact of availability of greenspace on mental health outcomes. |
| Title | Bristol region directly measured air pollution sensor dataset |
| Description | A collection of directly measured air pollution records collated using differing methodologies by Bristol City Council, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire from 1990 - 2018. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Used to calibrate NOx modelled exposure estimates. |
| Title | Datasets containing indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) and other geocoded measures (2017) |
| Description | IMD data has been linked to multiple time points, both on an annual basis (e.g., January 2008, Jan 2009, Jan 2010, etc.), as well as at the time point each child-based ALSPAC questionnaire or clinic was completed/conducted. This has been released all mother and child based data collections |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Data to enable research using geocoded SES measures to control for confounding in many different ALSPAC research investigations. Data to enable assessment of neighbourhood characteristics (e.g. urban/rural status, population density) in many different ALSPAC research investigations. |
| URL | https://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/our-data/linkage/ |
| Title | Geocoded School History dataset for ALSPAC index participants |
| Description | We have collated information on the schools ALSPAC participants attended from reception (Age 4-5) through to leaving schooling (Age 16-18). We have addressed issues such as schools changing over time (changing name, moving location etc). We have then geo-coded the school address information and assigned this back into the ALSPAC research database. This now allows ALSPAC staff to map environmental exposure data (e.g. air pollution, proximity to fast-food outlets) to individuals based on which school they attended. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The schools geo-coding was used to assign NO2 exposure to ALSPAC participants in a more accurate manner as the model was then able to weight exposure based on residential geocoding and schools geocoding. This dataset can be used in future for similar purposes with different envrionmental exposures. |
| URL | http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/our-data/environment-data/ |
| Title | UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration |
| Description | UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC) is a centralised infrastructure service for data linkage for longitudinal population studies (LPS) and a pan-UK, interdisciplinary, Trusted Research Environment (TRE) for the secure, pooled, analysis of diverse LPS data. This global first provides a national research capability for academia, policy makers and industry. UK LLC has combined data from >20 LPS with >200,000 participants. Participants' data have been linked to NHS records (primary, secondary, community care; COVID-19; civic registers; prescriptions; mental health) and geo-coded environmental exposures (pollution, green space, neighbourhood indicators). UK LLC is a collaborative endeavour of the LPS community for the benefit of the LPS and wider longitudinal research community. UK LLC has support from >20 major UK interdisciplinary studies spanning 75 years of follow-up. These studies include many flagship MRC/Wellcome Trust studies and the ESRC priority investments: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, ALSPAC; Born in Bradford, BiB; Centre for Longitudinal Studies (inc. National Child Development Survey NCDS58, British Cohort Study BCS70, Millennium Cohort Study MCS, Next Steps); COMPARE; English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, ELSA; European Prospective Investigation of Cancer, Epic-Norfolk; Extended Cohort for E-health, Environment and DNA, EXCEED; Fenland; Generation Scotland; Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression, GLAD; INTERVAL; National Study of Health and Development, NHSD46; NIHR Bioresources, including STRIDES and COPING; Northern Ireland Cohort of Longitudinal Study of Ageing, NICOLA; Southall and Brent Revisited, SABRE; Track-COVID; Twins Early Development Study, TEDS; Twins UK; UK Household Longitudinal Study, Understanding Society. The development of the UK LLC was informed by precedents from ALSPAC & Born in Bradford (through the MRC support Mental Health Pathfinder project); Generation Scotland; CLOSER (through the Data Linkage programme) and through Andy Boyd's secondment to ESRC to scope the potential for using population data for inclusive longitudinal research. The UK LLC concept was further informed through input from Data Managers from across our 'vanguard group' of contributing LPS and with public involvement (through the UK LLC public involvement strand and through insights from contributing studies participant groups). |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration is intended initially as a resource to support the research programme of the Longitudinal Health & Wellbeing National Core Study. There are currently 11 approved projects using UK LLC from the LHW NCS and other National Core Studies. The research from these is ongoing. There are notable methodological outputs from the UK LLC which include: (1) a novel governance structure accommodating the needs of many (n=24) UK longitudinal studies and major data owners (Eg, NHS Digital) into a common framework; (2) novel enhancements to Secure eResearch Platform data science infrastructure (Swansea University) for their Trusted Third Party to act as a 'linkage broker' and manage participants from many studies into one data processing pipeline; (3) novel enhancements to Secure eResearch Platform data science infrastructure (Swansea University) to 'record link' participants from many studies into one pooled 'super cohort' accounting for complex overlap between study membership and shared residence (ie, where participants are members of multiple studies, where occupants of a single residence are in one or more studies); (4) a transformational data pipeline to extract records of study participants from across NHS Digital records accounting for different legal bases and changes in permissions over time; (5) a novel data access process enabling a single point of application to request access to data from 24 LPS with linked records. |
| URL | https://ukllc.ac.uk/ |
| Description | ALSPAC Linkage Team collaboration with Dr Joanne Newbury (ALSPAC REF:B3309 and B3532) (2020 - Still Active) |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Enhancing the ALSPAC cohort with new neighbourhood data; facilitating Wellcome Trust fellowship. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Research expertise in applied epidemiology using geospatial data. |
| Impact | No impact yet |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | ALSPAC Linkage Team collaboration with Dr Joanne Newbury (ALSPAC REF:B3309 and B3532) (2020 - Still Active) |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Enhancing the ALSPAC cohort with new neighbourhood data; facilitating Wellcome Trust fellowship. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Research expertise in applied epidemiology using geospatial data. |
| Impact | No impact yet |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Geocoding University of Leicester |
| Organisation | University of Leicester |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Jointly designed (with Swansea University) a novel research protocol for the secure and privacy preserving geocoding of participant address data and the formation of a Residential Household 'Spine' within the UK LLC. UoLeicester have established protocols for the systematic modelling of physical environment exposures across the UK. UK LLC with contributing LPS are providing privacy-preserving access to address data from a number of studies, access to future studies address data for linkage as it becomes available. This is in conjunction with UK SeRP. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Exposure data on air quality, environmental noise, greenspace to be linked to the cohorts. Co-development of novel pipeline for linkage. |
| Impact | Modelling of physical exposure estimates (see UK LLC data outputs ResearchFish entries). |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Title | ALSPAC implementation of the ALGAE software |
| Description | ALGAE is an automated protocol to assess historical exposure to air pollutants for members of longitudinal cohort studies. It was developed as part of a research project between the Small Area Health Statistics Unit(SAHSU), Imperial College London and the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children(ALSPAC). ALSPAC have ammended the core ALAGE software to include new functionality to 1) allow generalisable linkage of spatially indexed data to ALPSAC participants; 2) allow assignment of exposure values to participants referencing multiple geolocations - e.g. residential address, school attended; and 3) to allow the allocation of exposure estimates to critical development periods at a more granular level (i.e. week of gestation rather than pregnancy trimester). |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | This software has been used to link Radon estimates to ALSPAC participants resulting in a research publication (de Vocht 2019, https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.14991.1). This software is being used to link modelled NOx estimates to ALSPAC participants for use in a range of research studies. |
| URL | https://smallareahealthstatisticsunit.github.io/algae/index.html |
| Description | ALSPAC participant co-design of the ALSPAC platform for research using natural and built environment exposures |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | The ALSPAC Original Cohort Advisory Panel (OCAP) - a standing committee of ALSPAC participants - were asked to co-design the new governance arrangements for using spatially indexed data in ALSPAC research. ERICA project staff presented research scenarios to OCAP participants and worked to understand their views and expectations. A number of OCAP volunteers agreed to write up the views of the committee and ALSPACs policy in this area was considered against these expectations and adjusted to fit where required. The OCAP participants were co-authors of the resource profile paper describing this resource, where they detail the panel's views (Boyd et al. 2019, accepted for publication). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
| Description | Enhancing Environmental data Resources in Cohort Studies: ALSPAC exemplar (ERICA) (ISIS/ISEE Conference, Canada) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Andy Boyd gave a presentation to an international conference of environmental epidemiologists to promote the ALSPAC study as a resource for linking geospatial data with health data for the investigation of physical health, mental health and wellbeing outcomes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://na.eventscloud.com/ehome/294696/638645/ |
| Description | Enhancing Environmental data Resources in Cohort Studies: ALSPAC exemplar (ERICA). (IPDLN Confererence, Canada) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Andy Boyd gave a presentation to an international conference of Data Scientists (International Population Data Linkage Network) to promote the ALSPAC study as a resource for linking geospatial data with health data for the investigation of physical health, mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Boyd A. Enhancing Environmental data Resources in Cohort Studies: ALSPAC exemplar (ERICA). International Journal of Population Data Science. 2018 Sep 11;3(4). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://ijpds.org/article/view/1040 |
| Description | Enhancing Environmental data Resources in Cohort Studies: ALSPAC exemplar (ERICA). (Invited Presentation) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Andy Boyd was invited to give a talk to the Manitoba Health Data Centre - a regional whole population research databank - to give insights to record linkage, participant acceptability and the use of Secure Research Environments to support research in geospatial epidemiology and the use of sensitive health records relating to Mental Health. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://umanitoba.ca/faculties/health_sciences/medicine/units/chs/departmental_units/mchp/resources/... |
| Description | Production of materials for hands-on science education exhibit at the 'We the Curious' science museum in Bristol |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 'We the Curious' is a science and arts centre located in the centre of Bristol. It is one of the UK's largest science centres and a major tourist attraction in the South West of the UK. The centre has >250 interactive exhibits. In 2020 We the Curious has been working with the ALSPAC birth cohort to develop new interactive exhibits based on ALSPAC data. the 'PEARL' record linkage team - which ran the NERC ERICA award have contributed geo-spatial information to the development of the exhibit. This was done using skills and enhancements made during the ERICA award. The exhibit has not gone live yet, so the impact is not yet known. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.wethecurious.org |