consumption for all age groups. In this paper we therefore compare the reported weekly
alcohol consumption of members of the 1958 cohort at age 33 (measured in 1991) with
the reported weekly alcohol consumption of members of the 1970 cohort at age 34
(measured in 2004). In addition we examine the changes in alcohol consumption from
young adulthood through to the mid-forties for the 1958 cohort (at age 23, 33, 42 and
46).
Background: The 1958 and 1970 British Birth Cohort Studies
The 1958 British birth cohort study, known as the National Child Development Study
(NCDS), started out as a cross-sectional Perinatal Mortality Survey. There were over
17,000 children in this birth cohort in Great Britain, all of whom were eligible for
comprehensive follow-up. This occurred as funding permitted, at ages 7, 11, 16, 23,
33 , 42 and 46 years. In childhood, information came from interviews with parents
and teachers and from medical examinations on the whole cohort, while the children
themselves underwent educational tests. From age 16, the cohort members
themselves were interviewed, and their examination results and other qualifications
over the years were added to the record. Adult sweeps have collected data over a
number of domains, including physical and mental health, demographic
circumstances, employment, and housing. Over the years there has inevitably been
some attrition from lost contact; refusals; emigration and death, but response rates
remain high. The adult surveys each include information on approximately 11,000
individuals who are still participating in the survey (Plewis et al. 2004).
Twelve years after the 1958 cohort study, the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study
(BCS70) began as the British Births Survey, when data was collected about the
births and social circumstances of over 17,000 babies born in England, Scotland
Wales and Northern Ireland. Data was collected using a questionnaire completed by
the midwife who had been present at the birth and, in addition, information was
extracted from clinical records. The original study was sponsored by the National
Birthday Trust Fund in collaboration with the Royal College of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists. The study aimed to examine the social and biological characteristics
of the mother in relation to neonatal morbidity, and to compare the results with those
of the 1958 National Child Development Study. When the cohort children were 3.5y
the study transferred to the Department of Child Health at the University of Bristol
and under the leadership of Neville Butler, Professor of Child Health, the cohort was
surveyed at age five ten and sixteen years. In 1991 responsibility for the study was
taken over by the Social Statistics Research Unit (SSRU), based at City University
London. This moved to the Institute of Education, London and became the Centre for
Longitudinal Studies (CLS) in 1998. CLS also houses the NCDS, and in 1999/2000 a
simultaneous survey of both cohorts was undertaken to facilitate comparisons
between these two groups born 12 years apart. There are now plans to interview
both cohorts every four years with core funding provided by the ESRC.
Measuring alcohol consumption in the 1958 and 1970 cohort studies
In adulthood, (23, 33, 42 and 46 years for NCDS and 30 and 34 for BCS70), cohort
members were asked about usual frequency of drinking. Categories differed slightly
between surveys but remain comparable. A full listing of the categories used at each