There has been increased focus in recent years on the mechanisms which link early childhood trauma with poorer health outcomes later in life. In 2018, Rebecca Lacey from UCL’s ESRC International Centre for Lifecourse Studies led a major project looking into how such early adversities (ACEs) can be linked to increased risk of health conditions…
Time for change: the NHS needs to take better care of ethnic minority mums and babies
There has long been evidence of the stark health inequalities faced by ethnic minority people in England and elsewhere. Despite this, there has been no significant change. One major area of concern is around pregnant and new mothers, in particular where discriminatory or racist treatment can affect their mental and physical health as well as…
Better housing and employment are key to preventing long-term mental health effects of the pandemic
Ministers have announced extra funding for mental health services and suicide prevention amid concerns over a surge in cases among young people during COVID-19. New research by Thierry Gagné, Alita Nandi and Ingrid Schoon looks more closely at the issue and finds strong differences in mental health responses to the pandemic with deprivation. Resources need…
Joining the dots between teenage infections and Multiple Sclerosis
Please note this is an updated version of an earlier post: More than 2.3 million people around the world have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and the large majority of those are over the age of 20. MS is not contagious but some inherited genetic characteristics influence risk of developing the disease. There is…
Is it time for all policy to consider the needs of care leavers?
Every policy should take into account the needs of care-leavers, participants at the launch of a major new research report on outcomes from a childhood in care were told. The Nuffield Foundation funded study, which pushes forward the boundaries of knowledge by looking at what happens in mid-life to those who have been in care…
There is no longer a debate. End the physical punishment of children now!
In 2019 Scotland was the first UK country to pass a law bringing an end to the physical punishment of children. This change in the law was facilitated by an evidence review featured already on this blog about the damage that the physical punishment of children does to their physical and mental wellbeing. Now an…
Multiple sclerosis: evidence of causes
More than 2.3 million people around the world have been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and the large majority of those are over the age of 20. MS is not contagious but some inherited genetic characteristics influence risk of developing the disease. There is evidence that things going on in people’s lives and bodies when…
Heavier social media use: are there links with binge-drinking in young people?
Heavier social media use: are there links with binge-drinking in young people? From Bebo to Facebook and Snapchat to TikTok, the last decade or so has seen a proliferation of social media platforms being used especially by young people. Earlyresearch featured on our blog has investigated some of the potential pitfalls that might be…
Time to stop physical punishment and score equal rights for children
A piece of news that might have slipped under the radar for some in this challenging year is that Scotland became the 60th country in the world to make it illegal to physically punish a child under the age of 16. The law came into force as a result of an evidence review conducted by…
Breaking the cycle – how active travel to school could help tackle childhood obesity and inequality
There are a host of reasons, many of them highly publicised in recent years, as to why we should encourage young people to be more physically active. Now a team of London researchers has shown how the time spent travelling to and from school is important in helping children, particularly those from more disadvantaged backgrounds,…