In a pioneering initiative, thousands of infants and their families are gearing up to participate in a groundbreaking UK birth cohort study titled “Generation New Era.” The study, a joint effort led by University College London (UCL) researchers in collaboration with Ipsos, as well as the universities of Edinburgh, Swansea, and Ulster, aims to shed light on the unique challenges confronting families as they emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic and grapple with the escalating cost-of-living crisis.
Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, a division of UK Research and Innovation, this comprehensive study will meticulously track the development and well-being of children born in 2022, providing valuable insights that extend from their early years and potentially beyond. The accumulated data is expected to yield crucial scientific and policy findings that will play a pivotal role in shaping decisions concerning early childhood and childcare services, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for families with young children throughout the United Kingdom.
As the infants reach the age of approximately nine months, families randomly selected to participate in the study will soon be visited by Ipsos interviewers. These professionals will inquire about various aspects of the child’s development, family dynamics, and the parents‘ own circumstances.
Professor Alissa Goodman, the director of the study and a member of the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, expressed her anticipation for the project, stating, “We are looking forward to meeting with families in the coming weeks, as we embark on the first UK birth cohort study to be launched since the millennium. With the economic and social repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impacts of the rising cost of living on our economy and society still unfolding, we hope that the Generation New Era study will help us to better understand the challenges facing this generation of babies, their development as children, and their future prospects.”
“Generation New Era” joins UCL’s extensive portfolio of birth cohort studies, which have traced the life courses of individuals born in 1946, 1958, 1970, and 2000-02. More recently, the “Children of the 2020s Study” has been monitoring the lives of children born in England in 2021.
The study will encompass a broad range of inquiries into the child’s health and growth, behavior and development, sleep patterns, and diet, in addition to activities undertaken by parents with their babies. Participants will also be encouraged to share their experiences as mothers or fathers, including insights into their homes, family dynamics, parenting styles, and formal or informal childcare arrangements. Importantly, the study will delve into the personal circumstances of parents, including their health, well-being, living environments, work situations, and financial situations.
Moreover, the study intends to leverage routine administrative data held by government departments, such as family health records, educational records, and social care records, to offer a more nuanced understanding of the lives of participants. To further explore the significance of living environments, information concerning local areas and properties, such as data on air quality and green spaces, will be incorporated into survey data.
In an effort to decipher the intricate interplay between genes and the environment, some parents and babies will also be asked to provide saliva samples. This genetic component of the study aims to unveil how genes influence people’s lives and how genetics interact with the environments individuals encounter.
To ensure inclusivity and the representation of diverse voices, the “Generation New Era” team has boosted the participation of infants from disadvantaged and ethnic minority families. The study seeks to engage both fathers and mothers from all family types and circumstances.
Professor Goodman underscored the importance of comprehensive participation, stating, “It is vitally important that we hear from as many families as possible so the study reflects the diversity of families across the UK as a whole. By providing vital new insights into the health and development of children, Generation New Era will help us to build a complete picture of what life is like for children growing up today. Knowing how children develop, and how the early years affect later lives, will provide vital evidence to researchers, governments, and service providers, so they are able to help improve the lives of children and families in the UK both now and in the future.”
