Life course exposure and later disease: a follow-up study based on medicalexaminations carried out in Glasgow University (1948-68)

Evidence for the relationship between exposures in fetal life, infancy, chi ldhood and early adulthood, and risk of chronic disease in later middle-age continues to accumulate. Further understanding of the associations between exposures acting over the life course and current morbidity and mortality in middle-age and later must depend upon the follow-up of previously establ ished cohorts. This paper describes the design of, and background to, a fol low-up of individuals who participated in a survey of student health in the University of Glasgow between 1948 and 1968. 15 332 students, almost a qua rter of whom were Female, had detailed medical information collected from a doctor-administered questionnaire and physical examination. Participation was voluntary; approximately 50% of the student population to ok part and these students were representative of the entire student popula tion. Data collected include: socio-demographic, behavioural, developmental , anthropometric, and clinical details, as well as details of medical histo ry and family health and structure. Data are over 95% complete for most var iables. Over 40% of students were examined on two or more occasions with 10 26 students (6.8%) having four or more examinations. Over 90% of students w ere from social classes I-III. Eighty-two per cent (12 533 / 15 322) of the students have been traced and flagged through the National Health Service Central Register and attempts are on-going to increase this figure. Those s tudy members who have been traced are representative of the original cohort . To date 1111 (7.2%) of those traced have died. These data constitute a un ique record of the health and physical development of a large cohort of stu dents from Glasgow. Follow-up to investigate the relationship between indices of health and dev elopment, (height, weight, blood pressure), health behaviours and social ci rcumstances in childhood and young adulthood. and mortality and morbidity i n later adulthood is under way.