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The British Cohort Study -

For the past 70 years, British scientists have been following the lives of thousands of children in the longest running human study in history.

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The British Cohort Study -

The study followed the children into adulthood while collecting all sorts of information about them.

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The British Cohort Study -

The researchers have been able to analyze which children grew up to be happy, healthy, and successful, and subsequently tried to determine why.

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Origins -

The study began in 1946, shortly after World War II. Scientists wanted to study what it was like for women to have a baby at that time.

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Origins -

They recorded every birth in Britain that occurred on a particular week and surveyed the mothers.

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Study renewed -

The survey was so successful that they repeated it again in 1958, in 1970, in the 1990s, and at the turn of the millennium.

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Generations of research -

Overall, 70,000 children across five generations were involved in the study.

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Numerous publications -

No other study like this has ever been carried out. It has led to the publication of 6,000 academic papers and books.

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What did it reveal? - So, what did they learn about human development?

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Impact of child poverty -

Across every generation, there was strong evidence that children who grow up in poorer or disadvantaged families were more likely to struggle in many aspects of life.

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Impact of child poverty -

The developmental disadvantages of these children could be seen in their reading level at the age of three, and would go on to affect them until the end of their lives.

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Impact of child poverty - They were more likely to suffer from poor health, memory deficiency, and even a shorter life expectancy.

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Significance of early childhood - The study found that our early years can significantly influence the course of our lives.

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Beyond our control -

This doesn't sound very encouraging. We can't choose our parents or what kind of financial standing we're born into.

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Optimistic results -

However, the children who succeeded despite their disadvantaged circumstances gave the most significant and optimistic findings. Researchers identified several common factors in their childhoods. 

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1. Parental engagement -

Children who had engaged, interested, and ambitious parents were more likely to overcome difficult circumstances like growing up in poverty.

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1. Parental engagement -

One specific study based on the group of children born in the 1970s showed that children whose parents read to them daily at the age of five, and showed an interest in their education at the age of 10, were far less likely to be in poverty at the age of 30.

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1. Parental engagement - This strongly suggests that engaging with children by reading to them, teaching them letters and numbers at a young age, helping them with their school work, and taking them to visit new places has a significant impact on their development.

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2. Bedtime routine -

Another study based on 10,000 children born in the year 2000 showed that bedtime routines are extremely important.

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2. Bedtime routine -

Children who went to bed at a different time every night were more likely to have behavioral problems than those who had a set bedtime.

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2. Bedtime routine -

Children who changed from an erratic schedule to a fixed bedtime saw improvements in their behavior.

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2. Bedtime routine -

This study showed the same results for children of all economic backgrounds and circumstances. A regular bedtime routine is important for all kids.

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3. Reading -

A study on children who read for pleasure showed that they gained a multitude of benefits.

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3. Reading -

Children who enjoyed reading between the ages of five and ten performed better on tests in school and later in life. They excelled at reading, spelling, and math.

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Conclusions -

The collective research showed that engaged parenting, reading, and regular bedtimes reduced the education gap between children in poverty and wealthy children by 50%.

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Conclusions -

However, they don't completely negate child poverty. The research also proved that child poverty still puts children at a disadvantage in terms of health, education, and career prospects.

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Conclusions -

Even in a highly developed and wealthy country like the UK, 34% of children were living in poverty as of 2018.

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Conclusions -

Combating child poverty is the greatest thing any country can do to ensure success for the next generations.

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Conclusions -

As a parent, you can follow the scientific evidence to give your child a great start in life, and we can all contribute to solving child poverty through activism and choosing our government representatives carefully! 

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What next? - Malala Yousafzai is an amazing example of a young person who overcame their circumstances to achieve greatness. Read more about her and other young activists who are changing the world!

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