Million Women Study (MWS)
Measures describe a question asked to a participant during a survey or an item of information requested from a manager when they fill out a data return. For example, ‘Who do you live with?’ is a measure and the possible responses might be, mother, father, brother, sister etc.
Need/provision/receipt | Description of measure | Start Year | Age range | Age from | Age to | Informant | Multiple rater | Reporting term | Sweep title | Standard instrument | Question/Data item | Response scale | Notes | Physical health measures | Dataset | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Need; | Difficulty with ADLs & receipt of allowances | 2006 | 66-82 | 66 | 82 | Participant | No | Current | 8yr Re-survey | No | Do you: |
Yes |
MWS | |||
Need; | Difficulty with ADLs & receipt of allowances | 2010 | 70-86 | 70 | 86 | Participant | No | Current | 12yr Re-survey | No | Do you: |
Yes |
MWS | |||
Need, Receipt; | Difficulty with ADLs & receipt of help | 2013 | 73-89 | 73 | 89 | Participant | No | Current | 15 yr Re-survey | No | Do you find any of the following tasks difficult? Do you need help with any of the above tasks? |
Part 1: Part 2: |
MWS | |||
Provision; | Provision of care for others & hours caring | 2013 | 73-89 | 73 | 89 | Participant | No | Current | 15 yr Re-survey | No | Do you regularly care for family members or others because of their health, disability or other problems? If Yes, how many days a week? |
Part 1: Part 2: |
MWS | |||
Need, Receipt; | Difficulty with ADLs | 2018 | 78-92 | 78 | 92 | Participant | No | Current | 20 yr Re-survey | No | Do you find any of the following tasks difficult? |
Walking? |
MWS | |||
Need; | Housebound/Bedbound | 2018 | 78-92 | 78 | 92 | Participant | No | Current | 20 yr Re-survey | No | Are you now: |
Housebound |
MWS | |||
Provision; | Caring for others & how much | 2018 | 78-92 | 78 | 92 | Participant | No | Current | 20 yr Re-survey | No | Do you regularly care for family members or others because of their health, disability or other problems? How much caring do you do? |
Part 1: Part 2: |
MWS | |||
Provision; | Who does person care for? | 2018 | 78-92 | 78 | 92 | Participant | No | Current | 20 yr Re-survey | No | Is the person you provide most care for |
Husband/partner |
MWS | |||
Provision; | What problem does care recipient have? | 2018 | 78-92 | 78 | 92 | Participant | No | Current | 20 yr Re-survey | No | What health, disability or other problem do they [person participant cares for] have? |
Dementia |
MWS | |||
Provision; | How long spent caring | 2018 | 78-92 | 78 | 92 | Participant | No | Current | 20 yr Re-survey | No | How long have you been caring for them? |
Years (0 if less than 1) |
MWS |
Overview
Aims
The Million Women Study is a population-based cohort study of 1.3 million women born in 1935-1950 with the aim of providing reliable information on potentially modifiable causes of common and serious illnesses. Participants’ health has been followed mainly through linkage to routinely collected NHS records as well as re-surveys. Current focus is on research on dementia, osteoporosis, stroke and other severe disabling conditions that become increasingly common as women age.
Institution
Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford
Geographic coverage - Nations
England; Scotland;
Start date
1996
Minimum age at recruitment
60
Sample Size
1,319,475
Sample
Study design
Cohort study
Sample details
"The NHS Breast Screening Programme invites all UK women registered with the NHS, of a specified age, for free routine breast screening every 3 years. In 1996–2001 the programme routinely invited women aged 50–64 years for mammographic screening, by sending each individual a letter offering them a specific date and time at a specific screening centre. In 66 NHS screening centres, the Million Women Study recruitment questionnaire was included with the invitation letter for screening. The cohort included 1.32 million women without previous cancer and includes women with a wide range of backgrounds, behaviours and lifestyles broadly similar to those of all UK women of their age. "
Sex
Sample Characteristics
Older adults cohort
Sample size at most recent sweep
1319475 (661,583 8-year re-survey)
Data
Data Access
http://www.millionwomenstudy.org/data_access/
http://www.millionwomenstudy.org/data_access/
Complementary Data
Health data
Genetic Data Collected
Yes
Linked Data
HDR UK Innovation Gateway
Additional information
Website
http://www.millionwomenstudy.org/introduction/
Notes
Related Measures
Diet and nutrition, Housing, Loneliness and social isolation, Physical health assessment, Sleep problems, Socioeconomic status and deprivation, Technology - Assistive/Digital, Work and employment,
Study Code
MWS
Reference paper(s)
Green J, Reeves GK, Floud S, et al. (2018). Cohort Profile: the Million Women Study. International Journal of Epidemiology 1–7.
Funders
MRC CRUK