MCS Sub studies

A postal survey was sent out in May to June 2003 to ask about the type and experience of treatment among those mothers who had undergone successful assisted fertility treatment for the conception of their cohort child.

The design and analysis of the survey was carried out in collaboration with the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University.

It was sent to 460 of the 18,503 MCS mothers, that is, all those who had reported past infertility treatment in the Age 9-Months Sweep. Of these, 230 (50%) responded to the survey.

A postal survey was carried out among health visitors working in the 398 areas (wards) covered by the MCS sampling points. They were asked about the availability of a wide range of health and other services that might be available to young families in, or adjacent to, those wards. Their reports increase the ecological information accompanying the interview data, alongside material extracted from ONS Neighbourhood Statistics (subject to precautions to avoid disclosure).

A sample of 300 group daycare settings in England was visited by a team of specialist pre-school researchers, to improve knowledge of the preschool education and daycare experiences of MCS children around age 3.

The project was a partnership between the Centre for Longitudinal Studies, the EPPE (Effective Provision of Pre-School Education) team at the UCL Institute of Education, and the Department of Education at Oxford University.

Information was collected on the nature of the pre-school provision being offered by a sample of the nurseries, playgroups, pre-schools and nursery schools identified by MCS parents during the summer of 2005.

In addition to providing a snapshot of childcare experiences across England, the information provides valuable information on the types of provision attended by MCS children from different backgrounds, of different genders and with different needs, for example children with EAL (English as an Additional Language). It also facilitates analysis of the longer-term effects of different types of childcare provision on children’s educational and social development.