A Bayesian latent class model for integrating multi-source longitudinal data: application to the CHILD cohort study

Abstract Multi-source longitudinal data have become increasingly common. This type of data refers to longitudinal datasets collected from multiple sources describing the same set of individuals. Representing distinct features of the individuals, each data source may consist of multiple longitudinal markers of distinct types and measurement frequencies. Motivated by the CHILD cohort study, we develop a model for joint clustering multi-source longitudinal data. The proposed model allows each data source to follow source-specific clustering, and they are aggregated to yield a global clustering. The proposed model is demonstrated through real-data analysis and simulation study.