Briefings and impact

Our briefings and impact library includes summaries of our research findings as well as reports highlighting the impact of our cohort studies.

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Life Stage

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National Child Development Study

Next Steps

1970 British Cohort Study

Millennium Cohort Study

Briefing papers

Care leavers and their children: Evidence on how care experience affects the next generation – policy briefing

This policy briefing examines findings from the first UK study to look at care leavers as mothers, following their development and that of their children from early childhood to adolescence and into adulthood, using two British cohort studies. It shows how the long-term effects of care experience can be eased.


Date published: 7 February 2024
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Briefing papers

Mental health of at-risk teenagers – Evidence from children of care leavers and those from socially disadvantaged families in the Millennium Cohort Study

This briefing paper draws on findings from a two-year research project funded by the Nuffield Foundation, focusing on the experiences of mothers with care experience and the mental wellbeing of their teenage children.

Date published: 26 June 2023
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Briefing papers

Resources available to mothers who experienced out-of-home care in childhood: Evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort Study

What are the socioeconomic and psychosocial resources available to female care-leavers who became mothers? It is well documented that the experience of out-of-home care can lead to more problematic post-16 transitions and poorer adult outcomes. This new research examines the experiences of care-leavers who become mothers.

Author: Sam Parsons and Ingrid Schoon
Date published: 16 March 2022
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Reports

‘First in family’: higher education choices and labour market outcomes

This report summarises research from a study funded by the Nuffield Foundation entitled ‘First in Family’: higher education choices and labour market outcomes’. The project examines how ‘first in family’ students, those whose parents do not have a degree but who go on to achieve one themselves, navigate the higher education system and the labour market compared to their peers.

Author: Anna Adamecz-Volgyi, Morag Henderson and Nikki Shure
Date published: 15 December 2021
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Briefing papers

Long term associations of behavioural problems in early childhood

This briefing paper compares results across two generations of British children born 30 years apart – participants in the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) and in the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) – to examine how health and behavioural problems in early childhood can cast a long shadow on a wide range of outcomes over the lifecourse.

Author: Sam Parsons, Vanessa Moulton, Alice Sullivan, Emla Fitzsimons and George Ploubidis
Date published: 7 October 2021
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Briefing papers

Carrying or using a weapon at age 17 – Evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort Study

This report shows the overall prevalence of weapon carrying and use at age 17 and its co-occurrence with other types of offences. Various prior factors are examined in terms of their association with carrying or using a weapon, including individual characteristics, socioeconomic background, family environment, mental health, school and peer factors, and prior behaviours and experiences.

Author: Aase Villadsen and Emla Fitzsimons
Date published: 30 June 2021
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Briefing papers

Substance use and antisocial behaviour in adolescence – Evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study at age 17

This report shows overall prevalences of engagement in risky behaviours, alongside breakdowns by sex, by parental educational level, and by UK country. In terms of sample characteristics, 50% were females, 36% had parents with a university degree or above, 13% were of ethnic minority origin, and the UK nations were represented by England (84%), Wales (5%), Scotland (8%) and Northern Ireland (3%). Analyses are adjusted for survey design and attrition, so figures are nationally representative estimates of risky behaviours among young people born in the UK around the turn of the millennium.

Author: Emla Fitzsimons and Aase Villadsen
Date published: 10 February 2021
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Briefing papers

Obesity prevalence and its inequality from childhood to adolescence – Appendix

This is the appendix to Obesity prevalence and its inequality from childhood to adolescence – Initial findings from the Millennium Cohort Study Age 17 Survey (above).

Author: Emla Fitzsimons and David Bann
Date published: 17 December 2020
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Briefing papers

Obesity prevalence and its inequality from childhood to adolescence – Initial findings from the Millennium Cohort Study Age 17 Survey

This report focuses on excess weight at age 17 in the Millennium Cohort Study, presenting prevalence of obesity, overweight, normal weight and underweight. Examining also previous measures collected from the cohort since age 3, it highlights stark inequalities by family socioeconomic circumstances. It underlines the strong persistence of excess weight throughout childhood and adolescence, with one third of a whole generation either overweight or obese as they enter their prime adult years.

Author: Emla Fitzsimons and David Bann
Date published: 17 December 2020
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Briefing papers

Prevalence of COVID-19, symptoms and testing in the UK – Initial findings from COVID-19 survey

The prevalence of COVID-19 in the community following the onset of the UK epidemic is unknown, and there are likely to be many predisposing factors which affect exposure to, or severity of, the disease. Clarity on these issues will help to inform public health strategies directed at virus suppression or elimination, and/or risk stratification measures tailored for different members of society. Here, we provide self-reported cohort-specific estimates of COVID-19 prevalence, symptoms and testing, along with estimates stratified by a range of traits. These estimates benefit from weighting for non-response using information from past data collections.

Author: Dylan M. Williams, Gabriella Conti, Nishi Chaturvedi, Alun Hughes, George B. Ploubidis and Richard J. Silverwood
Date published: 8 December 2020
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Briefing papers

Mental ill health in the UK at age 17 – Prevalence of and inequalities in psychological distress, self-harm and attempted suicide

This report focuses on mental ill-health at age 17, using data collected from participants in the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) in 2018-19. It presents prevalence of psychological distress, self-harm and attempted suicide. It describes important mental health inequalities across the following key socio-demographic characteristics: sex, ethnicity, sexuality and socioeconomic position. Combined with data collected from a subset of participants during the COVID-19 national lockdown in May 2020, when they were aged 19, the report also presents evidence on changes in psychological distress from ages 17 to 19.

Author: Praveetha Patalay and Emla Fitzsimons
Date published: 20 November 2020
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Briefing papers

Household composition, couples’ relationship quality, and social support during lockdown – initial findings from COVID-19 survey

This exploratory study provides descriptive evidence on household composition, couples’ relationship quality, and social support during the May 2020 national lockdown in the UK. Specifically, it examines changes in living arrangements, conflicts with people, and relationship satisfaction and conflict among couples. It also considers changes in social connections, emotional support, and practical help among participants.

Author: Afshin Zilanawala, Jenny Chanfreau Maria Sironi, and Maria Palma
Date published: 13 November 2020
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