Review

. 2024 Jan 10;16(729):eadf4428.

doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adf4428. Epub 2024 Jan 10.

Prospective study design and data analysis in UK Biobank

Naomi E Allen^{1

2}, Ben Lacey^{1

2}, Deborah A Lawlor^{3

4}, Jill P Pell⁵, John Gallacher^{6

7}, Liam Smeeth⁸, Paul Elliott^{9

10}, Paul M Matthews¹¹, Ronan A Lyons¹², Anthony D Whetton¹³, Anneke Lucassen^{14

15}, Matthew E Hurles¹⁶, Michael Chapman¹⁷, Andrew W Roddam¹⁸, Natalie K Fitzpatrick¹⁹, Anna L Hansell²⁰, Rebecca Hardy²¹, Riccardo E Marioni²², Valerie B O'Donnell²³, Julie Williams²⁴, Cecilia M Lindgren²⁵, Mark Effingham¹, Jonathan Sellors¹, John Danesh^{26

27

28}, Rory Collins^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ UK Biobank Ltd, Stockport, UK.
² Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
³ Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
⁴ Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
⁵ School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Scotland.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁷ Dementias Platform UK, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁸ London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
⁹ MRC Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
¹⁰ NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Chemical Radiation Threats and Hazards, Imperial College London, UK.
¹¹ UK Dementia Research Centre Institute and Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
¹² Population Data Science, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, Wales.
¹³ Veterinary Health Innovation Engine, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
¹⁴ Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
¹⁵ Faculty of Medicine, Southampton University, Southampton, UK.
¹⁶ Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK.
¹⁷ NHS England, London, UK.
¹⁸ Our Future Health, London, UK.
¹⁹ Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, UK.
²⁰ Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
²¹ School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK.
²² Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland.
²³ School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales.
²⁴ UK Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales.
²⁵ Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
²⁶ British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
²⁷ Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
²⁸ National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals, Cambridge, UK.

PMID: 38198570
PMCID: PMC11127744
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adf4428

Review

Prospective study design and data analysis in UK Biobank

Naomi E Allen et al. Sci Transl Med. 2024.

. 2024 Jan 10;16(729):eadf4428.

doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adf4428. Epub 2024 Jan 10.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ UK Biobank Ltd, Stockport, UK.
² Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
³ Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
⁴ Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
⁵ School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Scotland.
⁶ Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁷ Dementias Platform UK, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁸ London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
⁹ MRC Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
¹⁰ NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Chemical Radiation Threats and Hazards, Imperial College London, UK.
¹¹ UK Dementia Research Centre Institute and Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
¹² Population Data Science, Swansea University Medical School, Swansea, Wales.
¹³ Veterinary Health Innovation Engine, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
¹⁴ Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
¹⁵ Faculty of Medicine, Southampton University, Southampton, UK.
¹⁶ Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK.
¹⁷ NHS England, London, UK.
¹⁸ Our Future Health, London, UK.
¹⁹ Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, UK.
²⁰ Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
²¹ School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK.
²² Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland.
²³ School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales.
²⁴ UK Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales.
²⁵ Big Data Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Information and Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
²⁶ British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
²⁷ Health Data Research UK Cambridge, Wellcome Genome Campus and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
²⁸ National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals, Cambridge, UK.

PMID: 38198570
PMCID: PMC11127744
DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adf4428

Abstract

Population-based prospective studies, such as UK Biobank, are valuable for generating and testing hypotheses about the potential causes of human disease. We describe how UK Biobank's study design, data access policies, and approaches to statistical analysis can help to minimize error and improve the interpretability of research findings, with implications for other population-based prospective studies being established worldwide.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: All authors are past or present members of the UK Biobank Strategic Oversight Committee or the UK Biobank Senior Team. J.D. serves on scientific advisory boards for AstraZeneca and Novartis. R.C. is named on US patent no. 9957563B2 regarding a statin-related myopathy genetic test, but any share in royalty and other payments has been waived in favor of the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford. R.E.M. is a scientific advisor to Optima Partners and the Epigenetic Clock Development Foundation and has received a speaker fee from Illumina. P.M.M. has received consultancy or speaker fees from Roche, Merck, Biogen, Rejuveron, Sangamo, Nodthera, Novartis, and Biogen. P.M.M. has received research or educational funds from Biogen, Novartis, Merck, and GlaxoSmithKline.

Figures

**Fig. 1.. Types of data in UK Biobank.**
Shown are the types of data collected in UK Biobank, including data collected at in-person assessments such as lifestyle factors, medical history, blood pressure and other physical measures, and imaging scans. Other data include information from online questionnaires, data generated from biological samples, and data derived from electronic health care records.

**Fig. 2.. Incident disease cases since recruitment.**
Shown is the proportion of incident cases for three common diseases (myocardial infarction, diabetes, and COPD) ascertained since recruitment of these participants into UK Biobank. Disease cases were identified through hospital inpatient admissions, primary care (i.e., data from general practitioners) data, and death data available in electronic health care records.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Prospective study design and data analysis in UK Biobank

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Prospective study design and data analysis in UK Biobank

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