1. An Introduction to Millennium Cohort Study (MCS)
Cardiff University
4 June 2018
The final cohort we’re going to cover is the MCS
These are the youngest cohort members we survey at CLS:
- Now aged 17
- We’ve now had 6 sweeps and MCS7 the age 17 is currently in the field and we’re getting very good response rates

2. About the UK Millennium Cohort Study
Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) is a birth cohort study of around 19,000 children born in 398 areas of the UK
Highly multidisciplinary survey, designed to capture the influence of early family context on child development and outcomes throughout childhood, into adolescence and through adulthood

3. Objectives of MCS
To chart the initial conditions of the social, economic and health advantages and disadvantages facing new children in the new century and their consequences
To capture information for the future
To compare patterns of development with other cohorts
To collect information on previously neglected topics, such as father’s involvement and child care
To investigate the wider social ecology of the family, including community and services, splicing in geo-coded data

4. MCS Study Design Cohort born over a year
In England and Wales born between: 01/09/2000 and 31/08/2001
In Scotland and Northern Ireland born between: 24/11/2000 and 10/1/2002
Geographically clustered by electoral ward
Oversamples for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, areas with high child poverty and, in England, areas with higher ethnic minority populations

5. MCS Sample Design Stage 1: Selection of electoral wards (398)
Ethnic
Disadvantaged
Advantaged
Stage 2: Selection of children (27201)
Sample of children drawn from child benefit records held by DWP
Design weights: PSUs and clustering

6. MCS Achieved sample by sweep Number of families
COUNTRY
Number of Sampled Wards
MCS1
MCS2
MCS3
MCS4
MCS5
MCS6
ENGLAND
200
11532
10050
9717
8839
8618
7678
WALES 73
2761
2261
2181
2018
1881
1669
SCOTLAND 62
2336
1814
1628
1480
1263
N IRELAND
1923
1465
1534
1372
1308
1116
TOTAL UK
398
18552
15590
15246
13857
13287
11726

7. Overview of MCS content3 5 7 11 14 17
Interview and questionnaire self-completion (resident parents) x
(x)
Questionnaire self-completion
Physical measurements  x
Cognitive assessments
Activity monitor
Time use record
Saliva for DNA extraction X C
Both resident Parents
Cohort member
Also: consent to link to administrative health records (to age 14); education records (to age 16); parents’ economic records

8. Overview of cognitive content of MCS1 to MCS6
Age 3
Age 5
Age 7
Age 11
Age 14
BAS Naming Vocabulary
BAS Naming vocabulary
Word Reading
BAS Verbal Similarities
Word activity
Bracken School Readiness Assessment:
Colours
Letters
Sizes
Comparisons
BAS Picture Similarities
Progress in Maths
CANTAB Cambridge Gambling Task
BAS Pattern Construction
CANTAB Spatial Working Memory

9. MCS Physical Measurements & Samples
Age 3
Age 5
Age 7
Age 11
Age 14
Height
Weight
Oral fluid
(Hygiene hypothesis)
Waist
Body Fat
Activity Monitor
Saliva Sample
(DNA extracting)
Teeth

10. MCS age 14 Psychological development and health inventories
Parent
Cohort member
Big Five (OCEAN/CANOE)
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (parent-report)
Kessler 6 (K6)
Wellbeing / Self-Esteem (Shortened form of Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale)
AUDIT-PC (alcohol)
Pubertal Development Scale (adapted)
Moods & Feelings Questionnaire (Shortened)
Eating Choices Index (4 item index to measure healthiness of diet)

11. MCS6: Content of the Age 14 Survey
Main Parent
Partner parent
Young Person
Interview & Self completion
Self completion questionnaire (40 mins)
Cognitive assessment: word activity
Cognitive assessment:
word activity
decision making task (CGT)
Physical Measurements:
height
weight
body fat
Saliva Sample*
(*Biological parents only)
Saliva Sample
Accelerometer
Time Use Diary

12. Age 14 Activity Monitor
All cohort members in Wales, Scotland & NI and (a random) 81% of those in England were asked to wear a wrist worn activity monitor for 2 randomly selected days after the household visit
1 weekday & 1 weekend day selected to measure physical and sedentary activity
Geneactiv accelerometer used
4,970 CMs wore and returned an activity monitor

13. Age 14 Time Use Record
Time use diary was paired with activity monitor: sample and day selection the same
Full record of activities collected for 2 selected days; also collected information on where they were, who they were with, & how much they liked the activity
3 modes of collection offered:
Online (for completion on a desktop, laptop, or netbook)
App (for completion on an Apple or Android smartphone or tablet)
Paper (for those unable or unwilling to complete the record online or via the App)
4,916 CMs completed day 1 of the time-use record
4,197 CMs completed day 2 of the time-use record
9,113 TOTAL days of information

14. Age 14 saliva samples
Saliva samples were collected from cohort members and resident biological parents for DNA extraction
First time a triad of DNA samples collected from 2 biological parents and child in a large scale study
Samples collected using Oragene DNA kit
Number of saliva samples collected:
Cohort member 9360
Main parent 9195
Second parent 4936
TOTAL 23,491
University of Bristol is collaborating with the MCS team in storing the samples and extracting the DNA
DNA extractions will be genotyped in order to allow for analysis of different genes and their relationship with areas such as health and wellbeing, growth and behaviour
Plans for genotyping underway; access in due course will be via a special Access Committee; expected autumn

15. In the news: MCS6 initial findings

16. Accessing cohort data and documentation

17. CLS and other data freely available to researchers, government analysts and third sector
ukdataservice.ac.uk

18. You can register and download by clicking on Register/login at https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk

19. Access from…UKDA (UK Data Archive)
Need to create an account
State the purpose of the project
Find datasets of interest
Agree to data security and other policies
Download the data and related supporting documents!
(in SPSS or STATA)

20. Cohort documentation
Documentation for NCDS, BCS, Next Steps, and MCS from UK Data Service
Documentation available from CLS website
Questionnaires
Technical reports and user guides
Guides to initial findings
Latest and previously published work and research findings

21. CLS website

22.  All known publications based on CLS cohort studies are searchable in an online database:
If you have a publication to contribute to the bibliography, please contact us at

23. Thanks to our funders and host institution
Funded by
Hosted by

24. Thank you
Any questions?