- Impact of cohort research
- Alcohol consumption
- Aspirations at school
- Cohorts and crime
- Diet at an early age
- Emotional wellbeing
- Escaping childhood poverty
- Family separation
- Impact of smoking on newborns
- Maternal stress in pregnancy
- Rising obesity
- Social disadvantage and health
- Social mobility
- Teenage parents
The impact of social disadvantage on health
Data from the 1946 birth cohort study reveals marked differences in survival rates based on social class between 26-54 years, with death rates among women and men born to parents doing manual jobs double those of women and men growing up in non-manual households. This increased risk of death remains even after taking account of the person's adult socioeconomic position [1]. The most recent evidence up to age 60 years shows a particularly strong effect of childhood socioeconomic position on survival in women which is not fully explained by smoking, cognitive function or adult socioeconomic position [2]. Poor childhood circumstances increase the risk of early death from diseases such as coronary heart disease and respiratory disease.
The impact of childhood disadvantage is particularly marked in the case of death from stroke and stomach cancer. A child's background is also related to a wide range of dimensions of adult health. For example, some physical health outcomes (eg body mass index, obesity, periodontal disease and tooth decay); cognitive functions and some dimensions of mental health. Moreover, recent findings from the 1958 study suggest a link between adverse emotional experiences in childhood (such as abuse and neglect) and an increased likelihood of obesity and thereby greater risk of type 2 diabetes [3]. In all these examples, the association between childhood circumstances and adult health remains even after account is taken of an individual's circumstances in adulthood.
References
- Kuh D, Hardy R, Langenberg C, Richards M and Wadsworth MEJ (2002). 'Mortality in adults aged 26-54 years related to socioeconomic conditions in childhood and adulthood: post war birth cohort study'. British Medical Journal 325 (7372): 1076-80.
- Kuh D, Shah I, Hardy R, Richards M, Mishra G and Wadsworth MEJ (2009) 'Do childhood cognitive ability of smoking explain the influence of early social conditions and gender on premature adult mortality in British post war birth cohort?' Social Science & Medicine. 68; 1565-1573.
- Thomas C, Hypponen E and Power C (2008) 'Obesity and Type 2 diabetes risk in midadult life: the role of childhood adversity'. Paediatrics 2008;121;1240-1249.
