Asthma and wheezing illness are some of the most common childhood illnesses, and appear to have been on the rise in many developed countries. In the ongoing battle against them, considerable research has looked at the links with the surroundings we live in. From the effects of cold weather to dusty homes and living in polluted…
Author: Christine Garrington
Breastfeeding – to a schedule or on demand?
Mums-to-be are frequently advised in baby books that feeding to a schedule is best for their child. But what does the evidence tell us when it comes to the different approaches and what might that mean for parents, practitioners and policy makers? Dr Maria Iacovou from the University of Cambridge presents recent evidence breastfeeding research at an ESRC Centre…
What are the links between ethnicity and mental health?
What are the links between ethnicity and mental health? Do children aged 7 from certain ethnic backgrounds exhibit more socio-emotional difficulties than their white counterparts? Afshin Zilanawala from the ESRC International Centre for Lifecourse Studies at UCL talks to Christine Garrington about new findings from the Millennium Cohort Study. Ethnic Differences in Children’s Socioemotional Difficulties: Findings from…
Alcohol and adolescence: who’s drinking age 11?
Who is drinking alcohol at age 11? And what are the links with parents’ and friends drinking habits? See the slides and listen to Professor Yvonne Kelly talk at an ESRC Centre for Lifecourse Studies Policy Seminar about her research, Alcohol and adolescence: exploratory drinking in 11 year-olds, which makes use of data from the…
Understanding ethnicity in the battle against obesity
One in five children in Reception class (age 4-5) at school is either overweight or obese according to the most recent figures from Public Health England. By the time they go into year 6 (age 10-11), the figure rises to one in three. Over time our children are becoming increasingly overweight and it’s a tide…
Poor and obese: why poorer adolescents are more likely to be overweight
What are the links between poverty and obesity? And are policy initiatives aimed at getting children to consume less fizzy drinks and sugary snacks enough to tackle the problem? Professor Amanda Sacker looks at the picture for 11 year-olds in our latest Child of our Time Research Talk recorded at a recent ESRC International Centre for Lifecourse Studies…
Time for bed! Is a child’s bedtime linked to how well they are getting on?
What are the links between a child’s bedtime, their reading ability and their behaviour over time? See the slides and listen to Professor Yvonne Kelly talk at a Policy Seminar about her research Changes in Bedtime Schedules and Behavioral Difficulties in 7 Year Old Children. Photo credit: Tom Leuntjens
How racism can damage our children’s development
How a mum’s experiences of racism can damage her child. Professor Yvonne Kelly discusses compelling evidence for considering racial discrimination in the mix of things that impact negatively on our children.
Racism rise would be bad for the kids
A range of anti-racism initiatives and policies have been put into place in recent years by successive Governments in the UK. But could those efforts be undermined as we move into a period where it seems “anti-immigrant” sentiment and rhetoric is on the increase? With one in three people in Britain describing themselves as being…
Welcome to Child of our Time
Welcome to Child of our Time, a blog about the health and happiness of children living in the UK.
We are a team of researchers tracking children’s lives using a wide range of data sets, sources and information, asking important questions based on existing and emerging evidence.