National Child Development Study: CLOSER Training Dataset, 1958-2013

The Cohort and Longitudinal Studies Enhancement Resources (CLOSER) project aims to maximise the use, value and impact of longitudinal research. It brings together leading longitudinal studies, the British Library and the UK Data Service, to stimulate interdisciplinary research, develop shared resources, provide training, and share expertise. Resources available from CLOSER include harmonised datasets (developed to facilitate cross-study comparisons) and CLOSER Discovery (a search engine that enables researchers to search and browse questionnaires and data from different longitudinal studies). CLOSER’s website also includes a range of training materials focused on longitudinal studies and data. CLOSER is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and is based at the UCL Institute of Education.<br><br>Further information can be found on the <a href="https://www.closer.ac.uk/">CLOSER</a> website. The content of longitudinal studies, including questions, topics and variables can be explored via the <a href="https://discovery.closer.ac.uk/">CLOSER Discovery</a> website. <br> <br> The <i>National Child Development Study: CLOSER Training Dataset, 1958-2013</i> provides a set of variables derived from the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS), for training purposes.<br> <br> NCDS started in 1958 as the Perinatal Mortality Survey, designed to examine the social and obstetric factors associated with stillbirth and death in early infancy among the children born in Great Britain. It collected information on approximately 17,500 babies born in England, Scotland and Wales in one week of 1958, succeeding in covering 98.5% of those born in that week. <br> <br> The scope of the survey was broadened as it developed into a longitudinal study, aiming to follow-up respondents at ten further time-points throughout their lives to monitor their health, development, education, social circumstances, employment and possible family formation as adults. These follow-up sweeps include NCDS1 (1965 age 7), NCDS2 (1969 age 11), NCDS3 (1974, age16) and adult sweeps NCDS4-9 at ages 23, 33, 42, 44 (Biomedical sweep), 46, 50, 55, and most recently at ages 61-64.<br> <br>