1. Maximising return from cohort studies: Prevention of attrition and efficient analysis INTRODUCTION Alastair Leyland and Seeromanie Harding MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit University of Glasgow

2. Background MRC (and other funders) invest heavily in cohort studies Cohorts provide effective way of studying disease aetiology Ageing cohorts, declining participation rates and population mobility  attrition Attrition  loss of power and potential for bias

3. Aims To bring together researchers working on cohort studies To identify current practices of cohort maintenance To identify current practices of analysis of cohort data suffering from attrition

4. Proposed outputs Summary of the meeting Recommendations regarding best practice in cohort maintenance Recommendations regarding best analytical practice Development of a research agenda focused on –Reducing attrition in cohort studies –Suitable methodology for their analysis