Family trajectories and well-being of children born to lone mothers in the UK

We investigate how lone mothers’ heterogeneity in partnership trajectories is associated with children’s well-being. We use data from the Millennium Cohort Study, which follows a large sample of children born in the UK in 2000–2002. We divide children who were born to lone mothers into four groups based on their mothers’ partnership trajectories between birth and age seven, which cover more than 80% of these children’s family experiences. We then analyse how these trajectories are associated with markers of health, cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes measured at around age seven. We find that compared to the children that live continuously with lone mothers, children whose biological father stably joined the household have better cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes. In contrast, children in trajectories characterised by living with a stepfather or who experienced biological father joining in the family followed by biological parents’ dissolution had outcomes similar to children living continuously with lone mothers. The results underscore the importance of treating children born to lone mothers as a heterogeneous category

Child outcomes after parental separation : variations by contact and court involvement

This report presents findings from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). It describes variations in contact between children and non-resident parents, and use of court for settling contact or financial arrangements. The report also explores gaps in different child outcomes by their parents’ marital status and whether post-separation contact with non-resident parents is associated with children’s outcomes at age 11

Why are poorer children at higher risk of obesity and overweight? A UK cohort study

There is limited evidence on which risk factors attenuate income inequalities in child overweight and obesity; whether and why these inequalities widen as children age. Method: Eleven thousand nine hundred and sixty five singletons had complete data at age 5 and 9384 at age 11 from the Millennium Cohort Study (UK). Overweight (age 5 : 15%; age 11 : 20%) and obesity (age 5 : 5%; age 11 : 6%) were defined using the International Obesity Taskforce body mass index cut-points. To measure socioeconomic inequalities, we used quintiles of family income and as risk factors, we considered markers of maternal health behaviours and of children’s physical activity, sedentary behaviours and diet. Binary and multinomial logistic regression models were used. Results: The unadjusted analyses revealed stark income inequalities in the risk of obesity at age 5 and 11. At age 5, children in the bottom income quintile had 2.0 (95% CI: 1.4–2.8) increased relative risk of being obese whilst at age 11 they had 3.0 (95% CI: 2.0–4.5) increased risk compared to children in the top income quintile. Similar income inequalities in the risk of overweight emerged by age 11. Physical activity and diet were particularly important in explaining inequalities. Income inequalities in obesity and overweight widened significantly between age 5 and 11 and a similar set of risk factors protected against upward and promoted downward movements across weight categories. Conclusions: To reduce income inequalities in overweight and obesity and their widening across childhood the results support the need of early interventions which take account of multiple risk factors

Decline in the negative association between low birth weight and cognitive ability

Low birth weight predicts compromised cognitive ability. We used data from the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS), the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS), and the 2000–2002 Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) to analyze how this association has changed over time. Birth weight was divided into two categories, <2,500 g (low) and 2,500–4500 g (normal) and verbal cognitive ability was measured at the age of 10 or 11 y. A range of maternal and family characteristics collected at or soon after the time of birth were considered. Linear regression was used to analyze the association between birth weight and cognitive ability in a baseline model and in a model that adjusted for family characteristics. The standardized difference (SD) in cognitive scores between low-birth-weight and normal-birth-weight children was large in the NCDS [−0.37 SD, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.46, −0.27] and in the BCS (−0.34, 95% CI: −0.43, −0.25) cohorts, and it was more than halved for children born in the MCS cohort (−0.14, 95% CI: −0.22, −0.06). The adjustment for family characteristics did not explain the cross-cohort differences. The results show that the association between low birth weight and decreased cognitive ability has declined between the 1950s and 1970s birth cohorts and the 2000-2002 birth cohort, despite a higher proportion of the low-birth-weight babies having a very low birth weight (<1,500 g) in the more recent birth cohort. Advancements in obstetric and neonatal care may have attenuated the negative consequences associated with being born small

The reversing association between advanced maternal age and child cognitive ability: evidence from three UK birth cohorts

Background Studies on advanced maternal age – defined here as age 35 or older – and children’s cognitive development report mixed evidence. Prior studies have not analysed how the time period considered in existing studies influences the association. Methods We analysed trends in the association between maternal age and cognitive development using data from the 1958 National Child Development Study (n=10969), the 1970 British Cohort Study (n=9362), and the 2001 Millennium Cohort Study (n=11600). The dependent variable measures cognitive ability at age 10/11. Cognitive scores were standardised to a mean of zero and a standard deviation of one. Results For the 1958-1970 cohorts, maternal ages 35-39 were associated with 0.06 (95% CI: -0.13, 0.00) and 0.12 (95% CI: -0.20, -0.03) standard deviations (SD) lower cognitive ability compared to mothers in the reference category (25-29), while for the 2001 cohort with 0.16 (95% CI: 0.09-0.23) SD higher cognitive ability. For maternal ages 40+ the pattern was qualitatively similar. These cross-cohort differences appeared to be explained by the fact that in the earlier cohorts advanced maternal age was associated with high parity, whereas in the 2001 cohort it was associated with socioeconomically advantaged family background. Conclusions The results suggest that the association between advanced maternal age and children’s cognitive development changed from negative in the 1958 and 1970 cohorts to positive in the 2001 cohort because of changing parental characteristics. The time period considered can constitute an important factor in determining the association between maternal age and cognitive ability

Advantages of later motherhood

Peer reviewe

What influences 11-year-olds to drink? Findings from the Millennium Cohort Study

Background Drinking in youth is linked to other risky behaviours, educational failure and premature death. Prior research has examined drinking in mid and late teenagers, but little is known about the factors that influence drinking at the beginning of adolescence. Objectives were: 1. to assess associations of parental and friends’ drinking with reported drinking among 11 year olds; 2. to investigate the roles of perceptions of harm, expectancies towards alcohol, parental supervision and family relationships on reported drinking among 11 year olds. Methods Analysis of data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study on 10498 11-year-olds. The outcome measure was having drank an alcoholic drink, self-reported by cohort members. Results 13.6 % of 11 year olds reported having drank. Estimates reported are odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals. Cohort members whose mothers drank were more likely to drink (light/moderate = 1.6, 1.3 to 2.0, heavy/binge = 1.8, 1.4 to 2.3). Cohort members whose fathers drank were also more likely to drink but these estimates lost statistical significance when covariates were adjusted for (light/moderate = 1.3, 0.9 to 1.9, heavy/binge = 1.3, 0.9 to 1.9). Having friends who drank was strongly associated with cohort member drinking (4.8, 3.9 to 5.9). Associated with reduced odds of cohort member drinking were: heightened perception of harm from 1–2 drinks daily (some = 0.9, 0.7 to 1.1, great = 0.6, 0.5 to 0.7); and negative expectancies towards alcohol (0.5, 0.4 to 0.7). Associated with increased odds of cohort member drinking were: positive expectancies towards alcohol (1.9, 1.4 to 2.5); not being supervised on weekends and weekdays (often = 1.2, 1.0 to 1.4); frequent battles of will (1.3, 1.1 to 1.5); and not being happy with family (1.2, 1.0 to 1.5). Conclusions Examining drinking at this point in the lifecourse has potentially important public health implications as around one in seven 11 year olds have drank, although the vast majority are yet to explore alcohol. Findings support interventions working at multiple levels that incorporate family and peer factors to help shape choices around risky behaviours including drinking

Maternal Age at First Birth and Parental Support: Evidence From the UK Millennium Cohort Study

Using nationally representative data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (n = 7396), we investigate whether the mother’s age at first birth is associated with the level of support she receives from her parents around the time of birth. We apply latent class analysis to construct a summary measure of five dimensions of parental support (contact with the mother, contact with the father, childcare, monetary transfers and financial support for buying essentials). The results show that parental support is negatively associated with maternal age at first birth, with older mothers being less likely than younger mothers to receive parental support. Adjustment for maternal socio-demographic characteristics and parental age partially attenuates the association. Given that parental support is positively associated with adult children’s well-being, labour force participation, and fertility the results suggest that integrating parental support into work investigating the causes and consequences of the timing of first births has the potential to enrich and expand our understanding of the costs and benefits of delaying childbearing towards older parental ages

Fertility intentions and postponed parenthood : Initial findings from Next Steps at Age 32

The age at first birth in the UK has steadily increased over time. Among women born in the early 1990s, 44% have had one or more children before the age of 30, compared with 58% of their mothers’ generation (born in mid-1960s) and 81% of their grandmothers’ generation (born in late 1930s)i . While some individuals might prefer not to have children, others may be uncertain about their childbearing plans, or have reasons for putting them off. Against the backdrop of persistently low fertility rates in England and Wales (1.49 children per woman in 2022ii), understanding people’s ‘fertility intentions’ – their desire to have or not have children – can shed light on potential barriers that might force individuals to postpone or forego having children. This briefing investigates fertility intentions among 32-year-olds taking part in Next Steps, a nationally representative cohort study following the lives of around 16,000 people in England who were born in 1989-90. It focuses on the reasons why people who do want to have children (or more children) might postpone doing so, within a challenging social and economic context. Higher inflation, the rising cost-of-living and housing prices might strain current and potential parents financially. At the same time, the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly altered working styles and patterns, with increased remote work and flexible arrangements becoming more common. These changes may influence how individuals balance career and family planning decisions. Additionally, ongoing debates about parental leave policies, childcare costs, and work-life balance are shaping the environment in which this generation is making fertility decisions. The analysis was conducted on an analytical sample of 7,279 Next Steps respondents, of whom 2,045 reported that they wanted to have children (or more children) but were not currently trying, and their reasons for postponing parenthoo

hyaluronic acid in calves defects correction

Aim: Since the advent of fillers, new techniques are continuously developed for different uses. In this study, we evaluated the use of hyaluronic acid for calf augmentation. Methods: A total of 42 patients were enrolled in this study. All of them underwent augmentation procedure in our centers under local anesthesia, the operations were completed within 1 h with a prompt correction of the defects. Results: Thirty-nine patients were satisfied with the treatment (93%), while three had complications, local infection, and lumps, that were resolved quickly (7%). Conclusion: Macrofillers can be injected into the calf to correct any defects. The advantages include short duration of treatment; the procedure performed under local anesthesia and limited side-effects that resolve promptly. This study suggests the use of biocompatible macrofillers for the augmentation of not only calves, but also for augmentation of breast and buttocks