of Children the1950s Newsletter www.abdn.ac.uk/birth-cohorts/1950s

News from Generation Last year, we shared the exciting news that we had funding to expand the Generation Scotland (GS) study. Many of you already volunteer for GS, but this was a chance for more ACONF members to join. However the pandemic put a halt to our plans and we adapted to working in new ways. For GS, that meant launching a series of online surveys to understand the impact of COVID-19 measures on people’s health and wellbeing. Many of you responded to our CovidLife survey. Thank you for taking part. Unsurprisingly, a lot felt more depressed, lonely and isolated under lockdown. We also ran a survey for 12-17 year olds, TeenCovidLife, and RuralCovidLife for Photo @The Scotsman Publications Ltd those living and working in rural areas. In all, we had over 40,000 responses to our A different year year as a Professor in and surveys. Like for many of you, this year has been has taken over the academic lead role for very different than the one we had the Aberdeen Children of the 1950s study. You can find summaries of what you told planned. Sadly, we were unable to carry us on the GS website out some of the exciting workshops and We are really pleased to be working www.ed.ac.uk/generation-scotland/ public events we had lined up with our with the Dementia Platforms UK team at covidlife-volunteers/what-is-covidlife colleagues at the . Oxford University and invite you to get However, we have still been keeping busy, involved in an exciting research initiative From spring 2021 we’ll be inviting anybody led by them focussing on dementia over the age of 12 to take part in GS, and this newsletter brings you some of the latest news and developments. research. We would really appreciate if so the children and grandchildren of you take some time to read the invitation Aberdeen Children of the 1950s will also Professor Phil Hannaford, our academic and consider taking part. be able to join. If you or other members lead for the Aberdeen Children of the of your family are interested in joining you 1950s study retired in July this year. We Finally, we wanted to let you know of can pre-register at are very grateful to Professor Hannaford our move to using electronic methods of www.ed.ac.uk/generation-scotland/join- for all his work with us and wish him all keeping in touch where possible. Please generation-scotland the very best. We’d also like to introduce read the ‘Keep in Touch’ section for more details. For all the latest news, projects and up to Professor Shantini Paranjothy, who joined date information, please visit the University of Aberdeen in June this www.generationscotland.org Typhoid Current circumstances remind us of the typhoid outbreak in Aberdeen in 1964. Some of you told us your memories of this at the workshops we held in 2018, remembering the long summer holiday you had that year.

December 2020 Future research Keeping in touch This year we received permission from the Public Privacy and Benefits Panel (PBPP) to receive regular updates on routinely collected hospital data We have been thinking how best to and prescribing information. This will allow researchers to receive datasets keep in touch with members of the including this information more efficiently for future analysis. Applications to Aberdeen Children of the 1950s. We receive any data are scrutinised by the Steering Group of the Children of the would like to use electronic methods 1950s before being released to researchers. If approved, the data released will as much as possible in the future. be anonymised and held in the Grampian Data Safehaven which is a secure This would allow us to improve the environment for researchers to carry out their analysis. sustainability of the study in line with the strategy of the University of Aberdeen by reducing paper use, as Some of our research this year well as the costs occurred in mailings. We would therefore like to encourage those of you who have not yet submitted an email address to do so using the email address below. This will allow us to send updates directly by email. We may also contact you by email to invite you to take part in research related to the Children of the Mina Kherizan was Dr Jess Butler published Dr Marj Johnston 1950s study. recently awarded her research which found published a study If you have recently moved and want PhD on polypharmacy that people who which found that to keep up to date, please let our (taking multiple attended selective those who have study manager know (details below). medications at once). secondary school multiple co-existing Study manager, Heather Clark, contact Information from had more advantaged health conditions in details: the Children of the economic backgrounds, middle life are more 1950s study was linked higher IQs, higher likely to die at a • Email: [email protected] anonymously to likelihood of getting a younger age. • Postal: Children of the 1950s study, prescription records. university degree and Room 1:073, Polwarth Building, Her analysis showed better health. However, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD that inappropriate they did not find that polypharmacy put selective schooling itself Find out more people at greater improved health. Information on previous and existing risk of poorer health studies is available on the website: outcomes. www.abdn.ac.uk/birth-cohorts/1950s You can also keep in touch by following our Facebook page: @aberdeenbirthcohorts

Photo @The Scotsman Publications Ltd

Look out in 2021 for a Children programme presented by Darren McGarvey for BBC of the Scotland looking at social 1950s on class in Scotland featuring the the TV! Children of the 1950s study.

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