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Repeat measures of hearing ability and ear health in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): I. Data collected through hands-on assessment of the study offspring (G1); A resource for researchers

  • Amanda Hall
  • , Steven Gregory
  • , Yasmin Iles-Caven
  • , Kate Northstone
  • , Jean Golding*
    • *Corresponding author for this work
  • Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Bristol University, Bristol, UK
  • School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Acute and chronic ear problems can lead to hearing loss. Temporary and persistent hearing loss during early and mid-childhood can impact speech and language development, behaviour and other developmental milestones. There is some evidence that the consequences may be long-term in influencing outcomes related to behaviour, social interaction and mental health into adulthood. Unlike most birth cohort studies, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) has repeated measured aspects of hearing and ear related signs and symptoms in considerable detail during childhood. This enables the identification of consequences and preventive features that can be considered. In this, the first of two Data Notes, we outline the information collected from direct assessment of the study cohort, between the ages of 8 months and 15 years. This includes features related to ear conditions and hearing ability, and indicates the variables derived and the frequencies of the results obtained during childhood and adolescence.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages11
JournalWellcome Open Research
Volume11
Issue number433
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Jul 2026

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2026 Hall A et al. This is an open access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Funding

The UK Medical Research Council and Wellcome (Grant ref: MR/Z505924/1) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. This publication is the work of the authors and AH will serve as guarantor for the contents of this paper. This piece of work was made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation (61927). A comprehensive list of grant funding is available on the ALSPAC website (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/external/documents/grant-acknowledgements.pdf). Collection of hearing data was specifically funded by the Clothworkers’ Guild, Deafness Research UK and the University of Manchester. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation, nor the other funders. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

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