Linkages
The PEARL team has negotiated access to a range of data. As well as initiating linkage to routinely collected data, the team has extensive experience of developing bespoke linkage methodologies for data sets that are either non-routine or not routinely centralised. The team is currently developing anonymised protocols for linkage, and developing and assessing statistical approaches to de-identify and anonymise data.
These are the links that have been undertaken by the PEARL team for the ALSPAC cohort study:
- NHS primary (GP) and secondary care (hospital) records
- The Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)
- The National Pupil Database (NPD), including ‘key stage’ results for each ALSPAC participant at ages 7, 11, 14 and 16.
- Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) and Annual School Census (ASC)
- Geo-spatial linkages to health, political or administrative geographies using residential address across the life course. Linkage can also be established to co-ordinates for the study of neighbourhood and environmental factors.
- The Office for National Statistics (ONS) provide cause of death, death notification and cancer registry data. (Access and use of these are restricted).
- NHS STORK data (midwifery database)
Links being developed
The PEARL team is currently developing linkages in the following domains:
Health
- NHS primary, secondary and community care (mental health and learning disability) linkage of ALSPAC participants records are being further developed
Education
- Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) records. We welcome enquiries about this dataset.
Crime
- Links to the criminal conviction and caution data of ALSPAC participants are being developed
Income
- The potential linkages of ALSPAC participants benefit, earnings and employment data are currently being explored.