Professor Corri Black and her team at the University of Aberdeen manage several birth cohorts including:
The University of Aberdeen has followed children born in Aberdeen in 1921, 1936, and 1950-1956 as they grow and age. Collectively these groups are known as the Aberdeen Birth Cohorts, and are a jewel in the crown of Scottish health research and have helped to advance our understanding of ageing well.
In primary school these children sat tests of reading and mental ability. Over the years, researchers have linked the results from these tests to health and social information.
The linked data has been used to answer questions like:
- Does being born very small affect mental health later in life?
- Is the risk of dementia related to childhood intelligence?
- What influences quality of life in old-age?
Participants born in 1921 and 1936 have been invited back for a wide variety of studies at the University. Similar research is being started for the Children of the 1950's group.
The Cohort team have established LINEAGE, a cohort partnership with teams in Aberdeen Centre for Bioimaging , Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science and several cohorts in India:
- The Mysore Birth Records Cohort age 60-80,
- The Mysore Parthenon Cohort age ~20
- Children age 6-12 in Mumbai, whose mothers had a pre-pregnancy nutritional intervention.
This study aims to examine life course influences on cognitive and mental health outcomes.