Investigating and addressing non-representativeness of Understanding Society longitudinal study data via multi-source record linkage

MRC DTP in Precision Medicine

Up to 35 fully funded studentship positions are available across the University of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Our next intake will be for PhD projects commencing September 2018.

The Precision Medicine Doctoral Training Programme (DTP) offers PhD with Integrated Study studentships funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), The University of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow. Hosted by the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with the University of Glasgow and the Karolinska Institute, this prestigious programme provides PhD research training alongside taught courses over four years of study and welcomed its first cohort of students in September 2016.

This Doctoral Training Programme focuses on training PhD students in key MRC skills priorities in quantitative skills (mathematics, statistics, computation, and developing digital excellence) as applied to variety of data sources (from ‘omics’ to health records), and interdisciplinary skills including imaging and stratified medicine.

Supervisors:
Dr Linsay Gray
Prof Frank Popham

Project Summary:
This PhD aims to enhance the value of longitudinal study data resources by harnessing record-linkage to address bias associated with non-participation and subsequent non-response. Panel studies such as Understanding Society follow participants over time, providing a longitudinal picture of how the lives of individuals are changing. The information obtained is critical for measuring population metrics such as health, social factors and other related determinants which inform societal decision making nationally and beyond. However, incomplete participation at recruitment and non-response over time threaten validity of estimates, with prime targets for precision medicine – such as high disease risk sub-groups – likely to be disproportionately under-represented. We have developed a novel tailored bias-correction methodology using record-linkage and multiple imputation. It has previously been applied to cross-sectional survey data and this PhD would extend the methodology to panel studies. Understanding Society is an innovative world-leading study – the largest of its kind – providing valuable information about 21st century UK life over time by following the lives of individuals from 40,000 UK households. Individual level record-linkage of these data to other sources, including administrative health data, has been initiated. The PhD programme will involve customisation and application of the methodology for addressing non-participation across six waves of Understanding Society. There is potential for wider application to other longitudinal study data in this era of declining participation.