Combining Longitudinal Data From Different Cohorts to Examine the Life-Course Trajectory

• Published in: American journal of epidemiology Vol. 190; no. 12; pp. 2680 - 2689
• Main Authors: Hughes, Rachael A, Tilling, Kate, Lawlor, Deborah A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 01.12.2021; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age Distribution; Aging - physiology; Body-Weight Trajectory; Breastfeeding & lactation; Child; Child, Preschool; Cohort analysis; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Female; Humans; Infant; Life Change Events; Life span; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Missing data; Practice of Epidemiology; Prospective Studies; Republic of Belarus; Sociodemographic Factors; United Kingdom; Within-subjects design; Young Adult; Republic of Belarus; United Kingdom; Christ’s Hospital School Study; Barry Caerphilly Growth Study; Born in Bradford Study; Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial; Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children; mixed-effects models; life course; repeated measures

Longitudinal data are necessary to reveal changes within an individual as he or she ages. However, rarely will a single cohort study capture data throughout a person’s entire life span. Here we describe in detail the steps needed to develop life-course trajectories from cohort studies that cover dif...