PUBLIC CARE DURING CHILDHOOD AND BIOMEDICAL RISK FACTORS IN MIDDLE AGE: THE 1970 BRITISH COHORT STUDY

BackgroundChildren who have been exposed to public (out-of-home) care experience a range of negative outcomes by late adolescence and early adulthood. The longer-term impact of childhood care is, however, uncertain.AimTo examine if there is a prospective association between childhood public care and adverse life outcomes in middle-age.MethodsWe used data from the UK 1958 birth cohort study of 18 558 individuals. Parents reported offspring care status at age 7, 11 and 16. An array of social, criminal, cognitive, and health outcomes was self-reported by cohort members at age 42 (71% response proportion in eligible sample) and a cognitive test battery was administered at age 50 (62% response).ResultsA total of 420 (3.8%) of 11 160 people in the analytical sample experienced childhood public care by age 16. Net of confounding factors, experience of public care (vs none) was linked to 11 of the 28 non-mutually exclusive endpoints captured in middle-age, with the most consistent effects apparent for psychosocial characteristics: 4/7 sociodemographic (eg, odds ratio; 95% confidence interval for homelessness: 2.1; 1.4 to 3.1); 2/2 antisocial (eg, use of illicit drug: 2.0; 1.2 to 3.5); 2/3 psychological (eg, mental distress: 1.6; 1.2 to 2.1); 1/3 health behaviours (eg, current cigarette smoker: 1.7; 1.3 to 2.2); 2/8 somatic health (physical disability: 2.7; 1.9 to 3.8); and 0/5 cognitive function (eg, beta coefficient; 95% confidence interval for immediate word recall: −0.1; −0.3 to 0.1) endpoints.ConclusionsThe present study suggests that selected associations apparent between childhood care and outcomes in adolescence and early adulthood are also evident in middle-age.

Download Full-text

Out‐of‐home care in childhood and biomedical risk factors in middle‐age: National birth cohort study

American Journal of Human Biology ◽

10.1002/ajhb.23343 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Carlos Mestral ◽

Steven Bell ◽

Mark Hamer ◽

George David Batty

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Home Care ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Middle Age ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Out Of Home Care

Download Full-text

Life course psychological distress and cardiovascular disease risk factors in middle age: birth cohort study

Cardiovascular Research ◽

10.1093/cvr/cvaa335 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

G D Batty ◽

Mark Hamer ◽

Catharine R Gale

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cardiovascular Disease ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Life Course ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Middle Age ◽

Disease Risk ◽

Cardiovascular Disease Risk ◽

Birth Cohort Study

Download Full-text

Association of public care in childhood with social, criminal, cognitive, and health outcomes in middle-age: six decades of follow-up of members of the 1958 Birth Cohort Study

10.1101/2020.03.03.20030718 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tiffany H. Xie ◽

Carlos de Mestral ◽

G. David Batty

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Social Services ◽

Middle Age ◽

Health Behaviours ◽

Policy Implications ◽

Cognitive Test ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Public Care ◽

Childhood Care

AbstractObjectivesTo examine if there is an association between childhood public care and adverse life outcomes in middle-age.MethodsWe used data from the United Kingdom 1958 birth cohort study of 18,558 babies. Parents of study members were surveyed at age 7, 11, and 16 years when experience of public care of their offspring was ascertained. An array of outcomes were self-reported by cohort members at age 42 years, and a cognitive test battery was administered at age 50.Results420 (3.8%) of 11,160 individuals in the analytical sample experienced childhood public care prior to age 16. Net of confounding factors, public care was linked to half of the twenty-eight non-mutually exclusive endpoints captured in middle-age with the most consistent effects apparent for psychosocial characteristics: 6/7 sociodemographic, 2/2 anti-social, 3/3 psychological, 1/3 health behaviours, 2/8 somatic health, and 0/5 cognitive.ConclusionsThe present study suggests that known associations between childhood care and outcomes in adolescence and early adulthood are also seen in middle-age.Policy implicationsPractitioners in health and social services should perhaps more closely monitor care graduates.

Download Full-text

Homelessness in early adulthood and biomedical risk factors by middle-age: the 1970 British Cohort Study

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health ◽

10.1136/jech-2021-217457 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. jech-2021-217457

Author(s):

James W White ◽

Mark Hamer ◽

G David Batty

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Coronary Heart Disease ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Middle Age ◽

Early Adulthood ◽

Premature Mortality ◽

Glycated Haemoglobin ◽

Birth Cohort Study

BackgroundHomelessness has been linked to premature mortality but the relationship with biomedical risk factors is uncertain.MethodsWe analysed data from 8581 participants in the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study. Homelessness and type of experience were self-reported at 30 years of age. Nine biomarkers outcomes were collected at 46 years of age: body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, total and high-density cholesterol, triglycerides, glycated haemoglobin, C-reactive protein (CRP), insulin-like growth factor 1 and we computed the 10-year risk for coronary heart disease.ResultsBy 30 years of age, 5.8% of participants had been homeless with sofa surfing the most common experience (4.3%). Homelessness was associated with socioeconomic disadvantage, mental health problems and substance use in early adulthood, but these differences were not expressed in biomarkers. After accounting for early adulthood characteristics, residing in a bed and breakfast was associated with a higher BMI (0.59, 95% CI 0.13 to 1.05) and CRP (0.16, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.29), squatting with a lower BMI (−1.69, 95% CI –3.08 to −0.21) and rough sleeping with a higher 10-year risk of coronary heart disease (0.03, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.05).ConclusionsExposure to homelessness in early adulthood was essentially unrelated to biomarkers in middle age. Inconsistent links were found for specific types of experience.

Download Full-text