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Rationale Associations between COVID-19 risk factors and COVID-19 outcomes change over time, likely due to selection into who receives a COVID-19 test. When studies do not account for the changes in testing criteria, the association between a risk factor and outcome is a joint estimate across time. The transportability of a joint estimate aggregated over multiple testing periods may be limited. To improve generalisability, it is desirable to estimate effects net of time-varying selection. Aim 1) Demonstrate variation in the association between covariates expected to associate with testing, and those which would not, on COVID-19 at different timepoints. 2) Apply methods to mitigate biases in empirical estimates. Methods Analyses will be carried out on up to 421,037 UK Biobank participants residing in England at baseline (mean age at baseline = 56; 55% female). Risk factors will be determined at baseline (from 2006 to 2010), and COVID-19 outcomes will be ascertained from linked Public Health England COVID-19 test data and mortality statistics.Univariate cox proportional hazard models will be used to explore how associations between time-varying and time-stable variables change over time with; i) having a test for COVID-19, ii) testing positive for COVID-19 and iii) dying with COVID-19.Time-varying risk factors will be based on measures of socioeconomic position (SEP) including education, Townsend deprivation index and income. ABO blood group will be considered as a time-stable risk factor. Distinct time periods will be defined based on changes in testing definitions and changes in lockdown restrictions.Inverse probability weights will then be calculated for each time period. These weights will then be applied to models estimating risk across all time periods. Expected Results Preliminary analyses show that the size of the association between SEP and i) COVID-19 testing and ii) testing positive for COVID-19, changes across the course of the pandemic. These differences may be due to differential testing and not time-varying causal effects of the risk factor. We expect inverse probability weights will provide estimates closer to the true value for the association between each risk factor and outcome, independent of selection pressures on receiving a COVID-19 test. Population Health Relevance. Where studies do not account for time-varying selection pressures, the causal interpretations and the validity of results may be distorted. Where these findings are to be translated into developing population level or pharmaceutical interventions to mitigate against COVID-19 outcomes, efforts may be diverted away from more important risk factors. |