Session: Social, Political, and Environmental Determinants Across the Life Course
Early life course air pollution and greenness exposure and neurodevelopmental conditions (Gergo Baranyi, UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies)
Air pollution and greenness exposure have been linked to neurodevelopmental conditions, yet little is known about whether these associations differ across developmental periods or socioeconomic groups. Using data from over 14000 children in the Millennium Cohort Study, we found that exposure to air pollution from pregnancy through mid?childhood (up to 7y) was associated with neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly autism. After accounting for prior exposures and comorbidities, results indicated that only autism remained associated with higher PM10 exposure, specifically during the first trimester and infancy (0–2 year). We also observed that children from higher?income families benefited more from greenness exposure. Children living in more polluted areas were more likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum conditions, and individual socioeconomic status may modify the associations.
Evidence on physical activity and the local environment in the Millennium Cohort Study: exploiting new longitudinal greenspace data 2001 – 2024 (David Church, UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies)
Much UK-based research into the associations between proximity to greenspace and a range of health outcomes has used – and continues to use – greenspace data based on the 2005 Generalised Land Use Database (GLUD). By assembling Great Britain wide coverage of OS MasterMap Topography Layer data for eight new time points (2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2024), it has been possible to create a longitudinal greenspace dataset linked to all sweeps of the MCS. The original GLUD data are only available for England, whereas these new data cover all of GB. Furthermore, there are significant data quality issues with the original GLUD, resulting in inaccurate percentages of each type of land-use cover, including greenspace, now resolved. These data show strong associations between the proportion of greenspace within 5km network buffers and physical activity across all sweeps of the MCS.
How Can We Use Multiple Cohort Studies to Explore Social, Economic and Political Change?: Thatcherism, New Labour and the Life-Course Perspective (Stephen Farrall, University of Nottingham)
Unpicking how societies change has ever been an easy task. Age, period and cohort are all known to influence the ways in which individuals interpret, understand and respond to the circumstances into which they are born and grow up. However, as more cohort studies sharing sufficient similar research designs and instruments in the same country become available, so such work can develop. The presentation builds on our past work on the impact of Thatcherite social and economic policies on the lives and life-courses of those born in 1958 and 1970, and looks ahead to a recently commenced project which will extend our work to include the Next Steps and Millennium Cohorts. The project will outline our conceptual approach to exploring the ways in which policy change has affected several cohorts allowing for the recognition of their own aging and existence in wider social contexts.
Neighbourhood greenspace exposure throughout childhood and quality of decision-making in adolescence: Robust links across buffer sizes (Stephanie Gyimafi, UCL)
Using data from the Millennium Cohort Study, we investigated the role of exposure to neighbourhood greenspace throughout childhood on adolescents’ cognitive functioning and academic achievement. Our outcomes included measures of numerical reasoning, vocabulary knowledge, reward-based decision-making and qualifications attained in secondary school. Neighbourhood greenspace exposure across the school years was assessed with the mean percentage of greenspace in 400m, 800m, 1200m and 1600m around the family’s residential postcode. Across infancy and the preschool years, it was measured as the mean relative greenery of the ward of residence. We found a positive association between percentage of neighbourhood greenspace in 800m, 1200m and 1600m around the residential postcode and quality of decision-making (indexing the tendency to choose the more probable option under explicit probability conditions). This effect was also observed with ward-level greenery measured in the very early years. We did not find evidence for greenspace associations with the remaining outcomes.
