English babies are also more likely to sleep in their parents' bed than babies born in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. More than seven per cent of babies born in England sleep with their parents, according to the new study, which is the fourth in a series of internationally renowned national birth studies that have followed the lives of babies born in 1946, 1958 and 1970. The heaviest baby recorded in the survey was also born in England – weighing 7.23 kg.
These findings are among the many thousands of pieces of information about Britain's new children of the new century captured by the ESRC-funded Millennium Cohort Study. Researchers from the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at the Institute of Education, London are currently following the lives of the 18,819 babies born between September 2000 and January 2002 in selected electoral wards in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The first data set from the MCS is based on fieldwork which took place when the cohort children were 9-10 months old starting in June 2001. The launch event held on 25 June 2003 coincides with the data being made available to other researchers through the ESRC UK Data Archive at the University of Essex.
The Millennium Cohort Study data set (also known as the Child of the New Century study) is an important source of information for both scientific and policy purposes, says Professor Heather Joshi, Director of the Centre for Longitudinal Studies. The evidence it provides is particularly useful to government policy makers as the sample over-represents families in the smaller countries of the UK, families living in areas of high child poverty and areas with concentrations of ethnic minorities.
"Through face to face interviews, we have managed to find out about the start in life of nearly 19,000 babies born during 2000 and 2001 in all four countries of the UK," Professor Joshi points out. "Even before the longer term development of these children has been charted, the evidence which has already been assembled on the circumstances in the first year of life will be available to policy makers in fields of health, employment, childcare, housing and family policy, in all four countries of the UK," she says.
Future analysis of the MCS will provide information on issues ranging from child poverty to fathers' perspective on parenthood. But, among initial findings for the UK as a whole, it reveals:
- More boys are born than girls – 51.3 per cent boys and 48.7 per cent girls
- Chloe is the most common girl's name
- Jack is the most common boy's name
- It's still very rare to give birth to twins or triplets. Only 10 (0.05 per cent) sets of triplets and 246 (1.3 per cent) pairs of twins were born in the sample of 18,553 families
- The longest time a mother spent in labour was 100 hours
- More than 16 per cent of babies can nod at 9-10 months
- Only 43 per cent of UK fathers change nappies more than once a day
- The oldest mum surveyed is 53 years old
- The oldest dad surveyed is 69 years old
- Over 99 per cent of nine month old babies eat solid food
The MCS is an on-going project and fieldwork to revisit the 18,553 families included in the study will begin in September 2003.
For further information, contact:
Professor Shirley Dex, on 0207 612 6231, e-mail: sd@cls.ioe.ac.uk
Mobile 07879-625006.
Or Lesley Lilley or Anna Hinds at ESRC, on 01793-413119/413122
Notes for editors:
1 The ESRC Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) is the fourth national birth cohort study in Britain, the first for 30 years. Its initial survey recruited nearly 19,000 children from all parts of the UK. They were born over a period of at least 12 months, starting in September 2000. The sample over-represents families in the smaller countries of the UK, families living in areas of high child poverty and areas with concentrations of ethnic minorities. Interviews with both parents took place between June 2001 and January 2003, documenting the diversity of circumstances in which these children are setting out on life in the 21st century. The event marks the deposit in the Data Archive of the resulting multi-purpose data set, and will unveil the ongoing operation to follow-up at age three.
2 The MCS is jointly funded by Economic & Social Research Council, ONS consortium of Government Departments: ONS, DfES, DWP, DoH, Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly, NI Executive, Sure Start – National Evaluation in England.
3 Social Science Week 2003, from the 23rd to the 27th June, is about revitalising policy by bringing social scientists and their research together with policy-makers. Events in various locations will showcase a broad array of ESRC research. Topics will cover a wide spectrum, from the state of UK business to climate change and arms control. For a programme visit http://www.esrc.ac.uk/socialscienceweek or call David Ridley, External Relations, on 01793-413118.
4 The ESRC is the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It provides independent, high-quality, relevant research to business, the public sector and Government. The ESRC invests more than £76 million every year in social science and at any time is supporting some 2,000 researchers in academic institutions and research policy institutes. It also funds postgraduate training within the social sciences to nurture the researchers of tomorrow. More at http://www.esrc.ac.uk
5 The Institute of Education is a college of the University of London, specialising in teaching, research and consultancy in education and related areas of social science and professional practice.
Millennium Cohort Study
18,819 babies
18,553 families
Number of girls in the total sample.
Country Number of girls in total sample: Percentage (%)
|
Largest proportion of male babies for each country.
Country: Proportion of Males (%)
England: 51.8
Wales: 52.4
Scotland: 52.7
Northern Ireland: 52.0
Within Greater London (Total): 50.7
All UK (Total) 51.3
Age of oldest mum at birth for each country.
Country: Age of Oldest Mum, (years)
England: 52
Wales: 53
Scotland: 52
Northern Ireland: 45
Within Greater London (Total): 46
All UK (Total): 53
Age of oldest dad at birth for each country.
Country: Age of Oldest Dad, (years)
England: 69
Wales: 63
Scotland: 62
Northern Ireland: 58
Within Greater London (Total): 58
All UK (Total): 69
Most common girl's names within each country.
Country: Girl's Names
England: Chloe
Wales: Chloe
Scotland: Lucy
Northern Ireland: Lauren
Throughout All UK: Chloe
Most common boy's names within each country.
Country: Boy's Names
England: Jack
Wales: Jack
Scotland: Lewis
Northern Ireland: Jack
Throughout All UK: Jack
Total Number of twins and triplets born in the sample of families.
Multiple Births Number: Percentage
(%)
| Twins UK | 246 | 1.3 |
| Triplets UK | 10 | 0.05 |
Total sample = 18553
Total number of premature babies born in UK sample.
Number
Premature Babies: 52
Total Births: 18553
Percentage of fathers present at birth for each country.
Country: Percentage of fathers present at birth.
England: 85.6
Wales: 84.0
Scotland: 86.0
Northern Ireland: 85.2
Within Greater London (Total): 82.2
All UK (Total): 85.3
Percentage of mothers who had a caesarian delivery - for each country.
Country % of Caesarian deliveries
England: 21.4
Wales: 23.2
Scotland: 21.8
Northern Ireland: 22.9
Within Greater London (Total): 24.1
All UK (Total): 21.6
Percentage of babies able to walk at 9 – 10 months for each country.
Country % of babies walking.
England: 12.0
Wales: 13.7
Scotland: 11.2
Northern Ireland: 13.1
Within Greater London (Total): 13.5
All UK (Total): 12.1
Proportion of babies able to nod at 9 – 10 months for each country.
Country Babies able to nod (%).
England: 17.3
Wales: 17.3
Scotland: 13.5
Northern Ireland: 16.5
Within Greater London (Total): 18.1
All UK (Total): 16.9
Table indicating percentage of babies not yet on solid foods for each country.
Country % of babies not on solid foods
England: 0.3
Wales: 0.4
Scotland: 0.3
Northern Ireland: 0.6
Within Greater London (Total): 0.5
All UK (Total): 0.3
Proportion of babies waving 'bye bye' - for each country
Country Babies waving 'bye bye' (%)
England: 66.2
Wales: 71.8
Scotland: 71.1
Northern Ireland: 75.5
Within Greater London (Total): 62.5
All UK (Total): 67.2
Percentages of babies able to sleep through the night at 10 months for each country.
Country % of babies sleeping through the night
England: 24.1
Wales: 25.0
Scotland: 25.2
Northern Ireland: 29.4
Within Greater London (Total): 23.3
All UK (Total): 24.4
Percentage of babies who sleep in parents bed at night - for each country.
Country % of babies sleeping in parents bed at night.
England: 7.1
Wales: 7.0
Scotland: 6.4
Northern Ireland: 6.9
Within Greater London (Total): 12.9
All UK (Total): 7.0
Number of births on way to the hospital in relation to each country.
Country Number of births at home - Percentage (%)
| England | 6 | 0.1 |
| Wales | 6 | 0.2 |
| Scotland | 7 | 0.3 |
| Northern Ireland | 3 | 0.2 |
| Within Greater London (Total) | 1 | 0.0 |
| All UK (Total) | 22 | 0.1 |
Longest Labour Time Reported within each country.
Country: Hours
England: 100
Wales: 100
Scotland: 96
Northern Ireland: 100
Within Greater London (Total): 100
All UK (Total): 100
Heaviest Baby born within each country.
Country: Weight (kg)
England: 7.23
Wales: 6.78
Scotland: 6.55
Northern Ireland: 6.35
Within Greater London (Total): 7.23
All UK (Total): 7.23
Percentage of households that had a grandparent living with them.
Country: Percentage of households with grandparents resident
England: 6.1
Wales: 6.1
Scotland: 6.2
Northern Ireland: 6.9
Within Greater London (Total): 9.0
All UK (Total): 6.2
Percentage of fathers who report that they have 'ever' changed their baby's nappy.
Country: Percentage of fathers who ever change nappies.
England: 93.2
Wales: 95.3
Scotland: 96.8
Northern Ireland: 95.6
Within Greater London (Total): 65.0
All UK (Total): 71.3
Percentage of fathers who report that they change their baby's nappy once a day or more.
Country: Percentage of fathers who change nappies (more then once a day).
England: 55.9
Wales: 61.6
Scotland: 65.5
Northern Ireland: 60.2
Within Greater London (Total): 38.6
All UK (Total): 43.5