The Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study:
An Outline of the Research Potential for Government Users
NILS Research Support Unit:
Fiona Johnston
Michael Rosato
Dr Gemma Catney
Introduction & Background to the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS)
Role of the NILS Research Support Unit
Research Projects: Policy Relevant Themes
Policy Outreach & Government Users
Research Findings: Implications for Policy
Seminar Outline
Introduction & Background to the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS)
Role of the NILS Research Support Unit
Research Projects: Policy Relevant Themes
Policy Outreach & Government Users
Research Findings: Implications for Policy
1. Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS) – 28% representative sample of NI population (c. 500,000), based on health card registrations, linked to:
2001 Census returns vital events (births, deaths and marriages) demographic & migration events AND
distinct Health & Care datasets
2. Northern Ireland Mortality Study (NIMS) - enumerated population at Census Day (c.1.6 million), linked to:
2001 Census returns subsequently registered mortality data
Both NILS and NIMS linked to contextual and area-based data:
capital value of houses and property attributes geographical indicators settlement classifications deprivation measures
Introduction to the NILS and NIMS
Structure of the NILS
Datasets Routinely LinkedCensus Dataset 2001 GRO Vital Events Datasets 1997-2007
Variables include:Age, sex and marital status Religion and community backgroundFamily, household or communal typeHousing, including tenure, rooms and amenitiesCountry of birth, ethnicity Educational qualificationsEconomic activity, occupation and social classMigration (between 2000 and 2001)Limiting, long-term illness, self-reported general health, caregivingTravel to work
- New births into the sample - Births to sample mothers and fathers - Stillbirths to sample mothers - Infant mortality of children of sample mothers and fathers - Deaths of sample members 2001-2007 - Marriages 2004-2006 - Widow(er)hoods 2004-2006
LPS Property Data 2010 Health Card Registration Datasets 2001-2010
Capital and rating value (based on 2005 valuation exercise)
Variables include: - Household characteristics (no. of rooms, property type, floor space, central heating) and valuation - Estimated capital value
- Demographic data: age, status and location
- Migration events: immigrants added to the sample emigration of sample members re-entry of sample members to NI migration within NI
1. Research-Driven cross-sectional studies: no information on change over time other UK LS health and socio-demographic profile of NI
2. Legislation confidentiality protected, and managed, by NISRA under census
legislation NISRA have consulted the following about NILS:
Information Commissioner for Northern Ireland Office of Research Ethics Health and Social Care Privacy Advisory Committee
3. Funding infrastructure funded by the Health and Social Care R&D Division
of the PHA and NISRA research support function funded by ESRC and NI Government
(OFMDFM)
Background to the NILS and NIMS
Background: Based: Centre for Public Health (QUB) and NISRA HQ (McAuley House) Support: 2 full-time and 1 half-time Research Support Officers Set-up: April 2009
Remit:
raise awareness of the NILS research potential;
assist with development of research ideas and projects;
facilitate access to NILS data;
training & advice in use and analysis of NILS datasets;
promote policy relevance; and
enhance NILS research capacity incl: specific duty to assist government researchers and to undertake exemplar public policy research.
NILS Research Support Unit
raise awareness of the NILS research potential;
development and feasibility of research ideas and projects: big and
small!
gaining research approval & the application process;
data preparation/analysis and interpretation of results (incl. training on software); and
dissemination and publishing of results e.g. reports and papers, web-based publications and presentations at seminars, conferences.
Research Support:
NILS data are sensitive and access is highly controlled:
researchers can access data only within a ‘secure setting’ (NILS-RSU office at McAuley House); arrangements can be made to run analyses remotely;
researchers must sign and abide by user licenses & security policies;
disclosure control thresholds in place to protect confidentiality of the data: no tabulated cell counts less than 10 are released; and
all outputs must be cleared by NISRA staff.
Access:
Introduction & Background to the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS)
Role of the NILS Research Support Unit
Research Projects: Policy Relevant Themes
Policy Outreach & Government Users
Research Findings: Implications for Policy
Temperature-related mortality and housing (DSD)
Socio-demographic and area correlates of suicides
Distribution of cancer deaths in Northern Ireland by population and household type (NI Cancer Registry)
Variations in alcohol related deaths in Northern Ireland
Health & Mortality
Demographic Trends
Fertility in the short-run in Northern Ireland?
Fertility levels, and future school populations, by area of
residence and community background (DENI)
Lone mothers at time of birth: who are they?
Describing and modelling internal migration
Vital events: Standard Table Outputs (DMB)
Deprivation & ill-health a comparison of Scotland and NI
Education, Employment & Income
Educational attainment and mobility (DEL)
Unemployment and permanent sickness in NI
Pervasive area poverty: modelled household income (OFMDFM)
House value as an indicator of cumulative wealth in older people
Area-Based Analysis
Rural aspects of health
Population movement and the spatial distribution of socio-economic and health status
Inter-censal migration flows
Residential concentration/segregation and poor health
Section 75 Related
Equality assessment of health outcomes: cause-specific mortality for Section 75 groups (DHSSPS)
Mortality rates and life-expectancy: Section 75 groups and social disadvantage (OFMDFM)
Religious affiliation and self-reported health
Denominational differences in short-term mortality
Risk of admission to care homes for older people
Social harm and the elderly in Northern Ireland
Distinct Linkage Projects (DLPs) Potential to link to health and social services data for specially defined
one-off studies; so far successfully linked to Breast Screening, Dental Activity and Prescribing data
Legal and ethical scrutiny and privacy protection protocols:
Study period and specific data transfers agreed (DTA) Legal basis for data transfer (DTA) Health and Social Care Privacy Advisory Committee informed Ethics – database modification application (ORECNI)
One-way encryption methodology:
developed in Scotland to safeguard sensitive census and health and care data
datasets are matched and merged on an encrypted unique identifier researchers not involved in the linkage processes; only have access to an
anonymised dataset
DLPs Based on the NILS
BSO dental activity data: - adolescent dental health and use of dental care services (PhD
thesis) - child dental health and use of dental care services (ongoing)
QARC breast screening data: variations in breast screening uptake (submitted as PhD thesis)
BSO EPES data: use of antibiotics by demographic and area characteristics (ongoing prelim results available at NISRA Conference Nov 2010)
Social services admin data: children and families with long term and complex needs(ongoing)
Introduction & Background to the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS)
Role of the NILS Research Support Unit
Research Projects: Policy Relevant Themes
Policy Outreach & Government Users
Research Findings: Implications for Policy
Policy Outreach
NILS/NIMS data have obvious policy-relevance.
There are two main ways there can be policy engagement: 1. government researchers become involved in NILS projects
2. researchers (academic and government) engage policy-makers with their findings
personal contact (formalised through project applications) dissemination of findings through:
- RSU Ezine ‘NILS Newsletter’ - Policy/Research Briefs - NILS-RSU website
www.nils-rsu.census.ac.uk
Research Findings: Examples of TwoNILS Projects
A study of the socio-demographic and area correlates of suicides in NI (005)
O’ Reilly, D., Rosato, M., Connolly, S. and Cardwell, C. (2008) Area factors and suicide: 5-year follow-up of the Northern Ireland population. Br J Psychiatry 192(2):106-11.
Influence of demographic, socio-economic and area level factors on uptake of routine breast screening in NI (021)
Kinnear, H., Uptake of Breast Screening: Where You live Also Matters.Presented at Society for Social Medicine Conference , QUB, Sept 2010
Background:Suicide rates vary between areas: is this due to individual characteristics (composition) or area characteristics (context)?
Aim:To determine if area factors are independently related tosuicide risk after adjustment for individual and familycharacteristics.
Method:A 5-year record linkage study, based on the NIMS database, was conducted of c. 1.1 million individuals (not in communal establishments) aged 16–74 years, enumerated at the 2001 Northern Ireland Census. - data anonymised and held in a safe setting
Area Factors & Suicide (i)
Results:
1. The cohort experienced 566 suicides during follow-up.
2. Suicide risks:i. lowest for women and for those who were married or
cohabiting;ii. strongly related to individual and household disadvantage
and economic and health status.
3. The higher rates of suicide in the more deprived and socially fragmented areas disappeared after adjustment for individual and household factors.
4. There was no significant relationship between population density and risk of suicide.
Area Factors & Suicide (ii)
Conclusions:
Differences in rates of suicide between areas are predominantly due to population characteristics rather than to area-level factors.
Policy implication? Policies targeted at area-level factors are unlikely to significantly influence suicides rates.
Area Factors & Suicide (iii)
Suicide (Daily Mirror)
Background: All women aged between 50-64 invited once every 3 years for breast
screening in NI Current uptake rate in UK is about 76-77% Uptake is lower in inner city areas (London ~ 64%)
Aim:To describe and explain demographic, socio-economic and area-level variations in attendance at breast screening for women who were routinely invited during the 2001-2004 period.
Method:Linking of 2 highly sensitive datasets (NILS and Breast Screening data) andtherefore involved following processes:
ORECNI ethical approval PAC commendation one-way encryption all analyses carried out in NISRA – safe setting
Uptake of Breast Screening
Results slides removed due to dissemination restrictions
Results slides removed due to dissemination restrictions
Results slides removed due to dissemination restrictions
Urban dwellers less concerned about health?
Difficulties informing women in some areas?
Difficulties with access to clinics and/or opening times?
Perhaps not non-attenders but non-invitees?Perhaps many women in more urban areas do not
receive their invitation letters because the address used by the call-recall system for the invitation letter is incorrect.
Potential Projects
Pharmaco-epidemiological studies using EPES Travel-to-work: do longer distance commutes lead to residential
moves?
Research Ideas
Cancer research Northern Ireland Cancer Registry data Hospital admissions using Hospital Inpatient System data Rural inequalities in health
NILS-RSU Activity
NILS Research User Forum STATA training Working/Technical Paper Series
Future Plans
The help provided by the staff of the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study and the Northern Ireland Mortality
Study (NILS and NIMS) and the NILS Research Support Unit is acknowledged.
The NILS and NIMS are funded by the Health and Social Care Research and Development Division of the Public
Health Agency (HSC R&D Division) and NISRA. The NILS-RSU is funded by the ESRC and Northern Ireland
Government.
The authors alone are responsible for the interpretation of the data.
Acknowledgements
NILS Research Support UnitNorthern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
McAuley House2-14 Castle Street
BelfastBT1 1SA
Tel: 028 90 348138
Email: [email protected] Website: nils-
rsu.census.ac.uk
Top Related