Developing a ‘Semi-Systematic’ Approach to Using Large-Scale Data-Sets for Small-Scale Interventions: The ‘Baby Matterz’ Initiative as a Case Study

ObjectivesAdverse social and emotional wellbeing in childhood may lead to poor outcomes across the life course. Thus, identifying groups of children who share similar trajectories of social and emotional development...

In the UK new sources of administrative social science data are unfolding rapidly but the quality of these new forms of data for sociological research is yet to be established. We investigate the quality and consistency of the parental occupational information that is officially recorded on administrative birth records by undertaking a comparison with information collected from the same parents in the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). We detect a large amount of missing information in the birth records and a range of inconsistencies. We present an empirical analysis of MCS data using parental social class measures derived both from the birth records and the survey to assess the effects of these discrepancies. We conclude that parental occupational information from administrative birth records should not be assumed, a priori, to be suitable for sociological analyses and that further research should be undertaken into their consistency and accuracy.

BackgroundSelf‐reported school satisfaction is an important indicator of child and adolescent well‐being. Few studies have examined how disability, gender, and age affect school satisfaction.AimWe sought to determine whether the interaction between disability and gender with regard to self‐reported school satisfaction might be specific to particular types of disability and particular ages.MethodsWe undertook secondary analysis of Waves 5 and 6 of the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), a nationally representative sample of children born 2000–2002. MCS is the fourth in the series of British birth cohort studies.ResultAt 11 years of age (n = 12,207), school satisfaction was significantly higher for girls and those without disabilities. By contrast, at 14 (n = 10,933), school satisfaction was significantly higher for boys and those without disabilities. Subsequent analyses of gender moderation of the association between disability and school satisfaction revealed a significant interaction between gender and disabilities associated with mental health and with dexterity, respectively, at 14 years but not at age 11.ConclusionThese findings will inform future research endeavours, policy, and practice in psychology, education, and other areas associated with child development and disability.

Advanced medical imaging technologies have enabled biologists and other researchers in biomedicine, biochemistry and bio-informatics to gain better insight in complex, large-scale data sets. These datasets, which occupy large amounts of space, can no longer be stored on local hard drives. San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) maintains a large data repository, called High Performance Storage System (HPSS), where large-scale biomedical data sets can be stored. These data sets must be transmitted over an open or closed network (Internet or Intranet) within a reasonable amount of time to make them accessible in an interactive fashion to the researchers all over the world. Our approach deals with extracting, compressing and transmitting these data sets using the Haar wavelets, over a low- to medium-bandwidth network. These compressed data sets are then transformed and reconstructed into a 3-D volume on the client side using texture mapping in Java3D. These data sets are handled using the Scalable Visualization Toolkits provided by the NPACI (National Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure). Sub-volumes of the data sets are extracted to provide a detailed view of a particular region of interest (ROI). This application is being ported to C++ platform to obtain higher rendering speed and better performance but lacks platform independency.

This study investigated the role of intelligence and its development across childhood in decision‐making in adolescence (age 11 years). The sample was 12,514 children from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study, followed at ages 3, 5, 7, and 11 years. Decision‐making (risk‐taking, quality of decision‐making, risk adjustment, deliberation time, and delay aversion) was measured with the Cambridge Gambling Task. Even after adjustment for confounding, intelligence was positively associated with risk adjustment and quality of decision‐making in both boys and girls. Furthermore, in girls risk adjustment was related positively to IQ gains. Our findings suggest that there are important, substantively, associations between intelligence and adapting behaviour to risk at the cusp of adolescence, the period when the response to risk can shape life trajectories.Statement of ContributionWhat is already known on this subjectIn children, intelligence and decision‐making, measured with gambling tasks, are inconsistently linked.This could be due to gambling tasks not separating risk‐taking from contingency‐learning.What the present study addsThis study measured 11‐year‐olds’ decision‐making using a gambling task in which probabilities of different outcomes are presented explicitly.IQ was positively associated with risk adjustment and quality of decision‐making.Also significant were IQ gains (for risk adjustment, only in girls).There are links between intelligence and adapting behaviour to statistical risk in children.

Childhood shapes lifelong wellbeing, making it crucial to understand how environmental factors impact development. This study examines the impact of neighbourhood greenspace quantity on the trajectories of emotional, behavioural and cognitive outcomesacross childhood (at ages 3, 5, 7 and 11 years) with data from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. Using multilevel growth curve models, we assessed the role of neighbourhood greenspace in small standard areas on trajectories of conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer problems, emotional symptoms and cognitive ability. There was no direct association between greenspace and these child outcomes at the intercept (~ aged 7 years). However, greenspace was related to the slope of both conduct problems and cognitive ability, suggesting possible benefits in the early years, mainly before the start of formal education. The study highlights the potential effect of greenspace quantity on child development, but in the context of age. Longitudinal research tracking outcomes beyond childhood can shed more light on age-related effects of greenspace across areas of development.

The exposure of children to second hand tobacco smoke (SHS) is a well-established risk factor for a range of adverse health conditions in childhood and later life. Little is known about the extent to which children with intellectual disability (ID) may be exposed to SHS. Our aim in this study was to estimate the risk of childhood exposure to SHS and early experience of smoking among children with and without ID in a nationally representative cohort of British children. Secondary analysis of data extracted from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample of over 18,000 UK children born 2000-2002. Children with ID are significantly more likely than their peers to be exposed to SHS and to have themselves experimented with smoking by age 11. Controlling for between-group differences in socio-economic position eliminated the increased risk of exposure to SHS and significantly attenuated, but did not eliminate, increased risk of experimenting with smoking by age 11. Levels of exposure to SHS among children with ID are typical of those of families of children without ID living in similar socio-economic circumstances. The results lend no support to the hypothesis that increased rates of parental smoking may be associated with any additional 'burden of care' experienced by parents of children with ID. Nevertheless, it will be important to ensure that evidence-based interventions to reduce exposure to SHS are tailored to the specific needs of families supporting children with ID (e.g. through the provision of disability-friendly child care arrangements).

We investigated the longitudinal relationship between socio-economic disadvantage (SED) and trajectories of emotional and conduct problems among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who had comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; ASD + ADHD) or not (ASD - ADHD). The sample was 209 children with ASD who took part in the UK's Millennium Cohort Study. Trajectories of problems across ages 3, 5 and 7 years were analyzed using growth curve models. The ASD - ADHD group decreased in conduct problems over time but the ASD + ADHD group continued on a high trajectory. Although SED was not a risk factor for ASD + ADHD, it was associated with elevated emotional problems among children with ASD + ADHD. This effect of SED on emotional problems was not attenuated by parenting or peer problems.

Residential mobility, neighbourhood deprivation and children's behaviour in the UK

The relationships between paid work and informal care are critical to understanding how paid work is made possible. An extensive source of childcare in the UK is the intergenerational care grandparents provide. Using data from the UK's Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative sample of children born in 2000, biprobit and instrumental variables (IV) analysis of mothers’ participation (given the social construction of caring responsibility) identifies a significant causal effect of grandparents’ childcare in that it:(i)raises the labour force participation of mothers with a child of school entry age on average by 12 percentage points (the average marginal effect);(ii)raises the participation of the group of mothers who use grandparent childcare by 33 percentage points compared to the situation if they did not have access to this care (the average treatment effect on the treated).Thus grandparent-provided childcare has a substantial impact on the labour market in the UK, an impact that may not be sustainable with forthcoming changes to the state pension age. Grandparents’ childcare increases the labour force participation of lone and partnered mothers at all levels of educational qualifications but by different degrees. Grandparents’ childcare enables mothers to enter paid work rather than extending their hours of paid work.

STUDY QUESTIONIs asthma more common in children born after subfertility and assisted reproduction technologies (ART)?SUMMARY ANSWERYes. Asthma, wheezing in the last year and anti-asthmatic medication were all more common in children born after a prolonged time to conception (TTC). This was driven specifically by an increase in children born after ART.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYFew studies have investigated any association between ART and asthma in subsequent children, and findings to date have been mixed. A large registry-based study found an increase in asthma medication in ART children but suggests underlying infertility is the putative risk factor. Little is known about asthma in children after unplanned or mistimed conceptions.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONThe Millennium Cohort Study is a UK-wide, prospective study of 18 818 children recruited at 9 months of age. Follow-up is ongoing. This study analyses data from follow-up surveys at 5 and 7 years of age (response rates of 79 and 70%, respectively).PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSSingleton children whose natural mothers provided follow-up data were included. Mothers reported whether their pregnancy was planned; planners provided TTC and details of any ART. The population was divided into ‘unplanned’ (unplanned and unhappy), ‘mistimed’ (unplanned but happy), ‘planned’ (planned, TTC < 12 months), ‘untreated subfertile’ (planned, TTC >12 months), ‘ovulation induced’ (received clomiphene citrate) and ‘ART’ (IVF or ICSI). The primary analysis used the planned children as the comparison group; secondary analysis compared the treatment groups to the children born to untreated subfertile parents. Outcomes were parent report of asthma and wheezing at 5 and 7 years, derived from validated questions in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, plus use of anti-asthmatic medications. A total of 13 041 (72%) children with full data on asthma and confounders were included at 5 years of age, and 11 585 (64%) at 7 years.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCECompared with planned children, those born to subfertile parents were significantly more likely to experience asthma, wheezing and to be taking anti-asthmatics at 5 years of age [adjusted odds ratio (OR): 1.39 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07, 1.80), OR: 1.27 (1.00, 1.63) and OR: 1.90 (1.32,2.74), respectively]. This association was mainly related to an increase among children born after ART (adjusted OR: 2.65 (1.48, 4.76), OR: 1.97, (1.10, 3.53) and OR: 4.67 (2.20, 9.94) for asthma, wheezing and taking anti-asthmatics, respectively). The association was also present, though reduced, at the age of 7 years.LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONThe number of singletons born after ART was relatively small (n = 104), and as such the findings should be interpreted with caution. However, data on a wide range of possible confounding and mediating factors were available and analysed. The data were weighted for non-response to minimize selection bias.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGSThe findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting an association between subfertility, ART and asthma in children. Further work is needed to establish causality and elucidate the underlying mechanism. These findings are generalizable to singletons only, and further work on multiples is needed.STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)This study was funded by a Medical Research Council project grant. No competing interests.

We investigated whether family income gradients in obesity, overweight, and adiposity persist at geographic-level deprivation quintiles using a nationally representative cohort of UK adolescents. Data from 11,714 eligible adolescents from the sixth sweep of the Millennium Cohort Study (14 years old) were analysed in this study. The International Obesity Task Force age- and sex-specific thresholds were used to define obesity and overweight. Self-reported family income was standardized using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s equivalised income scale. Geographic-level deprivation was defined by the index of multiple deprivation 2004. Results showed that the prevalence of obesity and overweight was 8.0% and 27.2%, respectively. Mean percentage body fat was 16.9% (standard error, SE = 0.2%) in male and 27.3% (SE = 0.1%) in female adolescents. Risk of obesity, overweight, and adiposity increased with decreasing family income quintiles (p for trend <0.001). After stratifying by geographic-level deprivation quintiles, a U-shaped association emerged, whereby family income gradients in the risk of adolescent obesity and adiposity persisted in extremely affluent and extremely deprived neighbourhoods but attenuated to non-significance in middle-class neighbourhoods. These results focus on the findings from England. Recognition of the persistence of inequalities in the risk of obesity in the most deprived and affluent neighbourhoods may be necessary in planning public health resources and interventions.

Physical activity (PA) can have a positive influence on mental health. Less is known about the influence of mental health on recent and later PA and sedentariness in childhood. This study investigated cross-sectional and distal associations between behavioural and emotional development, and objectively-measured moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and sedentary time, in seven-year-old children participating in the Millennium Cohort Study ( n = 6497). Markers of behavioural/emotional development (scores for total difficulties, internalising and externalising problems) were obtained using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at ages three, five and seven years. Associations between sedentary time or MVPA (outcomes) and behavioural/emotional development (exposures) were analysed using median regressions, stratified by sex. In cross-sectional analyses, boys’ sedentary time decreased with higher total difficulties scores (-1.1 minutes/day per score unit), boys’ and girls’ sedentary time decreased with higher externalising scores (-2.3 minutes/day per unit), and girls with higher internalising scores were more sedentary (1.4 minutes/day per unit). In analyses of MVPA, boys and girls were marginally more active with higher externalising scores (0.4 and 0.5 minutes/day per unit), and boys were less active for higher internalising scores (-0.7 minutes/day per unit). Distal associations showed similar patterns: children with increasing total difficulty and externalising scores at all ages were less sedentary at age seven; girls with increasing internalising scores more so. Boys and girls with increasing externalising scores were more active at age seven, whilst increasing internalising problems reduced MVPA for boys. In conclusion, behavioural behavioural/emotional development is associated with mid-childhood sedentary time and, more weakly, MVPA.

ObjectivesThis study examines associations between social media use and multiple sleep parameters in a large representative adolescent sample, controlling for a wide range of covariates.DesignThe authors used cross-sectional data from...

In most developed countries, maternal employment has increased rapidly. Changing patterns of family life have been suggested to be contributing to the rising prevalence of childhood obesity. Our primary objective was to examine the relationship between maternal and partner employment and overweight in children aged 3 years. Our secondary objective was to investigate factors related to early childhood overweight only among mothers in employment. Cohort study. A total of 13 113 singleton children aged 3 years in the Millennium Cohort Study, born between 2000 and 2002 in the United Kingdom, who had complete height/weight data and parental employment histories. Parents were interviewed when the child was aged 9 months and 3 years, and the child's height and weight were measured at 3 years. Overweight (including obesity) was defined by the International Obesity Task Force cut-offs. A total of 23% (3085) of children were overweight at 3 years. Any maternal employment after the child's birth was associated with early childhood overweight (odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)]; 1.14 [1.00, 1.29]), after adjustment for potential confounding and mediating factors. Children were more likely to be overweight for every 10 h a mother worked per week (OR [95% CI]; 1.10 [1.04, 1.17]), after adjustment. An interaction with household income revealed that this relationship was only significant for children from households with an annual income of pound33 000 ($57 750) or higher. There was no evidence for an association between early childhood overweight and whether or for how many hours the partner worked, or with mothers' or partners' duration of employment. These relationships were also evident among mothers in employment. Independent risk factors for early childhood overweight were consistent with the published literature. Long hours of maternal employment, rather than lack of money may impede young children's access to healthy foods and physical activity. Policies supporting work-life balance may help parents reduce potential barriers.