Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank

The Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank was initiated in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology by the late Professor Sir Dugald Baird, in 1950, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council (MRC) Medical Sociology Unit, as a resource for the study of physiology, pathology and sociology of pregnancy. From 1951 to 2017 this unique database links all the obstetric and fertility-related events occurring to women from a defined population.

Initially the data was held on punched cards, but by 1986 it was redeveloped onto a SIR database. This database now holds data for all Aberdeen City births from 1949 to 2017, with the MRC Medical Sociology Unit retaining responsibility for data relating to the period 1949 to1983 inclusive and the University of Aberdeen maintaining and controlling the data thereafter.

The Databank has been used for a number of research related projects - ranging from epidemiological studies within Aberdeen to collaborative work with other units world-wide, where anonymous extracts of the data are provided.

The Databank has a number of unique and special features which make it a particularly valuable resource for research purposes:

1. Total Population

   All reproductive events to women resident in a defined geographical area with a relatively stable population are included.

   A recent tracing exercise using the Community Health Index (CHI) register in Scotland revealed that only 3.8% of those who gave birth in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital and consequently had a record in the AMND had migrated out of this geographical region.
   
   
2. All Fertility Related Events

   All obstetric and fertility related gynaecological events, e.g., sterilisation, early pregnancies etc. are included in the Databank. This feature greatly enhances the quality of epidemiological and demographic data.

3. Original Records (Hard copy)

   The original Maternity case records are available for the whole period. Additional data items can thus be added to the Databank for selected cases and validity of data can be checked systematically.

4. Duration

   Data collection has been continuous since 1950 and is ongoing, allowing study of secular change, and identification of considerable numbers of intergenerational, sibling and twin pairs for the study of genetic and environmental influences upon reproductive performance.

5. High Quality and Consistent Data

   Stringent and consistent criteria have been used for the coding of gestation length, birthweight, pregnancy complications and cause of perinatal death by trained coding staff. When metrication was introduced for recording of height, birthweight etc., the earlier records were all converted.

6. Multiple Pregnancies

   Zygosity has been determined for the majority of twin pairs from 1968 onwards. This is also available for surviving twins born between 1960 and 1964.

7. Record Linkage

   Computerisation allows relatively easy identification of complete reproductive histories not only of individual women but also of families. Using this information intergenerational analysis can be performed.

8. Extensive Social Data

   An unusual amount of social data is available for most years including occupational for women, husbands or partners, grandfathers, duration of education and lifestyle factors such as smoking.

It is virtually impossible to list all the variables that are recorded in a large database such as the AMND. A selection of commonly requested variables is given below. If a particular variable is required but does not appear below, it is best to ask - chances are it will be there (at least for some of the years!)

Explanation of Some Data Items Held

*indicates mandatory records

A Steering Committee is responsible for the future preservation of the access to the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank with data from 1950 onwards.

The MRC Medical Sociology Unit collaborated in and has a responsibility for the Databank up to and including data for 1983 only.

Regulations for access have been agreed as follows:

1. All requests for access must be made through the Databank Steering Committee in order to ensure that the proposed use of the data conforms to accepted scientific standards in terms of methodology, confidentiality and ethics..
2. Access will only be available to applicants who, in the opinion of the Committee, are bona fide research workers and who have received any necessary approval for that research from an appropriate Research Ethics Committee. They will be required to complete and sign the application form, and forward a copy of their letter of approval from the Ethics Committee..
3. Data will be provided for access in the Grampian Data Safe Haven. Files will not normally include identification data. When an applicant for data has provided identification data, the extract file will contain the requestor's identifiers and the additional items requested from the Databank. Any transfer of data from a researcher to the Grampian Data Safe Haven or release from the Safe Haven must follow all legal and governance requirements as required by the Safe Haven and in the signed Investigator Declaration.
4. Processing and use of data must comply with the requirements of the UK Data Protection Act and GDPR.  All applicants will be required to forward any relevant papers using the supplied data to the Databank Steering Committee prior to submission for publication in order to ensure factual accuracy and correct interpretation because of the material and to ensure appropriate acknowledgement to the Databank.
5. The Databank Steering Committee, as far as possible, will encourage collaborative research with one or more members or designated colleagues in order to facilitate accurate use and interpretation of the data.
6. Charges for supplying data will depend on several factors:
   - origin of the request
   - whether there has been a previous extraction for the same project
   - the complexity of the extraction requested
   Feedback on charges to be levied will be given once the Committee have agreed in principle to the request.

Request Forms

To download an application form, click on this link: AMND data request form

All enquiries and completed request forms should be addressed to:

Heather Clark
Databank Administrator, University of Aberdeen

Email: amnd@abdn.ac.uk

Some Facts and Figures

The AMND has grown considerably since our last annual report in 2002. As of September 2015, we now have data on:

• Total no. of women - 181,145
• Pregnancies - 274,323
• Births - 272,449
• Babies - 277,324
• Twins - 4,120

Here we present some time trends derived from data from the AMND.

Trend of teenage conceptions and the rate ratio of teenage pregnancy in women who are either in the most deprived Carstairs category or the unskilled occupational social class category (McCall et al., 2014).

The AMND Steering Committee was set up to be responsible for the future preservation of the access to the Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank with data from 1949 onwards. The MRC Medical Sociology Unit collaborated in and has a responsibility for the Databank up to and including data for 1983 only.

The organisations involved in the preparation, processing and access of the data are represented on the Committee as follows:

• Aberdeen Centre for Women's Health Research
• Grampian Data Safe Haven
• Aberdeen Maternity Hospital

Terms of Reference, AMND Steering Committee