Longitudinal population studies (LPS) currently face a range of challenges. With the world still dealing with COVID-19 and its far-reaching impacts, the value of longitudinal studies, with the wealth of data already collected in the years before the pandemic, and their ability to track individuals during and after the pandemic, has never been greater.
But what will these studies look like in a post-COVID world? How will the experiences during the pandemic influence approaches to policy engagement and impact, the adoption of novel approaches to data collection and emerging technologies, and to participant and public engagement? How are studies harnessing the opportunities that have arisen during the pandemic and what learning has been gained?
Following the success of CLOSER’s 2018 and 2020 Preparing for the future conferences, in January 2022 we brought the LPS community together again to identify ways to tackle shared challenges. This online conference, delivered over three days, was a collaborative, interactive event with a strong focus on sharing best practice and problem solving.
The programme was shaped by consultation with UK and international longitudinal studies. Each session involved short presentations of exemplar work in a given area, followed by facilitated group discussions and the chance for delegates to share their own experiences.
The conference addressed the following topics:
- The impact of COVID-19 on longitudinal population studies
- Influencing policy
- Data linkage
- New forms of data collection
- Participant and public engagement
Conference report
The conference web report brings together the key learnings from each of the themes and panel discussions, presentation videos, presentation slides and illustrated presentation summaries.
Panel discussions
Designing and implementing new longitudinal population studies: opportunities and challenges in a post-COVID world (Chaired by Prof Rebecca Hardy)
Panellists included:
- Manuel Eisner, Evidence of Better Lives Study (Low- and middle-income countries)
Watch Manuel’s opening talk - Alissa Goodman, Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study (UK)
Watch Alissa’s opening talk - Gary Pollock, GUIDE/EuroCohort (Europe)
Watch Gary’s opening talk - Andrew Roddam, Our Future Health (UK)
Watch Andrew’s opening talk - Melissa Wake, Generation Victoria (Australia)
Watch Melissa’s opening talk
View the illustrated summary of this panel session [PDF]
Mobilising longitudinal population study data and research in the policy landscape (Chaired by Grant Hill Cawthorne, House of Commons)
Panellists included:
- Rob Davies, CLOSER & House of Commons Scrutiny Unit
- Faten Hussein, House of Commons Scrutiny Unit
- Tristan Stubbs, House of Lords Committee Office
Watch the panel discussion
View the illustrated summary of this panel session [PDF]
Conference materials
Videos, slides and/or illustrated summaries from the talks in each parallel session can be found below.
Impact of COVID-19 on longitudinal population studies
Growing Up in Ireland: Adapting data collection methods in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic – Lisa Kelly & Eoin McNamara, Growing Up in Ireland
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
Adapting to the times: Collecting data in the CLS cohorts during the pandemic – Matt Brown, UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
COVID-19 antibody testing in longitudinal population studies – Andrew Wong, COVID-19 Longitudinal Health and Wellbeing National Core Study
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
Twinduction: baseline sample and data collection in newly registered twin research volunteers – Taha Bhatti, TwinsUK
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: The role of virtual visits in LPS data collection – Melanie Lewcock, Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
Video Interviews for Longitudinal Studies During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Alisha Pathania, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
Data linkage
BiB4All -Inspiring the Development of the Born and Bred in (BaBi) Network of local e-cohorts – Kayley Ciesla, Born in Bradford
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
The Challenges of Administrative Data Linkage for Longitudinal Studies of Ageing – Anne Gasteen, HAGIS
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration – Robin Flaig, UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
Enhancing the birth cohort studies through address-level geographic linkages – David Church,UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
Influencing policy
Partnerships facilitate policy translation – a case study from Growing Up in New Zealand –Susan Morton, Growing Up in New Zealand
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
Generating policy impact: insights from Understanding Society Policy and Partnerships Unit – Raj Patel, Understanding Society
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
New forms of data collection
SMS surveys in the Global South: Insights from field studies in Tanzania – Johanna Choumert-Nkolo, EDI Global
Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
“We hope to visit you again soon”: Updating location information from participants of a longitudinal study during COVID-19 in four Low-Middle-Income-Countries – Maria De Los Angeles Molina, Young Lives
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
![View the illustrated summary [JPG]](https://www.closer.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Location-Data-Updates-scaled.jpg){kind=link}
Cohort Re-engagement Strategies – Sarah Sullivan, Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
Concurrent, Sequential or Web-Only? Evidence from a mixed-mode recruitment experiment in FReDA – Pablo Christmann, GESIS
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF]
Participant and public engagement
Involving young people in research during the COVID-19 pandemic: The BRIGHTLIGHT experience – Lorna Fern, BRIGHTLIGHT
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
COVID-19-safe public engagement – Clare Dolan, Generation Scotland
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
![View the illustrated summary [JPG]](https://www.closer.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/GenScot-engagement-scaled.jpg){kind=link}
COVID-19 Impact and Recovery Survey: how COVID-19 fear impacts social, health and economic recovery from the pandemic in people aged over 50 – Tamara Brown, HAGIS and Generation Scotland
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
![View the illustrated summary [JPG]](https://www.closer.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/HAGIS.png){kind=link}
Engaging Diverse Stakeholders: Strategies from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program – Elissa Faro, ECHO programme
Watch the talk | Download the slides [PDF] | View the illustrated summary [JPG]
![View the illustrated summary [JPG]](https://www.closer.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/ECHO-Elissa-Faro-scaled.jpg){kind=link}
Conference programme
- View the current conference programme (PDF)
- View the list of poster presentations (PDF)
- View the conference book of abstracts (PDF)
Scientific Organising Committee
CLOSER would like to thank our Scientific Organising Committee (SOC) for their contribution to this conference.
Members of the Scientific Organising Committee include:
- Paul Bradshaw, Growing Up in Scotland
- Emla Fitzsimons, Millennium Cohort Study
- Rebecca Hardy, CLOSER
- Lynn Molloy, Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children
- Andrew Steptoe, English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
Previous Preparing for the future conferences
In 2018 and 2020, CLOSER brought together delegates from across the social and biomedical sciences to deliberate over key issues facing longitudinal population studies now and in the future.
For more information about the previous conferences in this series, including executive summaries, full reports and blogs, visit Preparing for the future of longitudinal science.
Contact information
If you have any questions, or require any further information, please contact CLOSER’s Digital Communications and Events Manager, Jennie Blows: j.blows@ucl.ac.uk