Genetic predictors of participation in optional components of UK Biobank

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21073-y
• Publication Date: 2021-02-09T21:23:32Z
• Authors: Jessica Tyrrell; Jie Zheng; Robin Beaumont; Kathryn Hinton; Tom G. Richardson; Andrew R. Wood; George Davey Smith; Timothy M. Frayling; Kate Tilling
• Keywords: Mendelian Randomization; Genome-wide Association Study

Abstract Large studies such as UK Biobank are increasingly used for GWAS and Mendelian randomization (MR) studies. However, selection into dropout from may bias genetic phenotypic associations. We examine factors affecting participation in four optional components up to 451,306 participants. identify variants associated with participation, MR estimate effects of phenotypes on correlations compare across different 32 were one the ( P < 6 × 10 −9 ), including loci links intelligence Alzheimer’s disease. Genetic demonstrated that was common showed longer educational duration, older menarche taller stature increased whilst higher levels adiposity, dyslipidaemia, neuroticism, schizophrenia reduced participation. Our effect estimates can be sensitivity analysis account selective biases or non-genetic analyses.