“In such a rapidly changing world, it is vital to have rich data on the lives of children and families.”
Thousands of babies from across the UK are to be tracked throughout their lives as part of an “exciting” new study, experts have announced. The Generation New Era study will include up to 30,000 babies from across Britain.
It is the first long-term tracking study launched in a quarter-of-a-century. Researchers hope that the new study will provide valuable insights into the next generation of children.
It aims to provide important information on the physical, mental and social development of children and will examine environmental and social changes. It could also shine a light on how technology is shaping the lives of youngsters, with experts pointing out that there have been vast technological advances since the last major long-term UK-wide study was launched in 2001/02.
“The world has changed an enormous amount since that time,” study co-directer Professor Alissa Goodman told the PA news agency. “Generation New Era is a landmark scientific endeavour which will improve the lives of children and benefit science and society for many years to come.
“In such a rapidly changing world, it is vital to have rich data on the lives of children and families, especially those from disadvantaged and less often heard groups.” As well as providing insight into lives shaped by modern times, it is hoped the new study will help unlock genetic links to disease as both parents and babies will be asked for saliva samples so their genetic data can be analysed.
Researchers also plan to link information provided by families to health and education records. Study co-director Professor Pasco Fearon, from the University of Cambridge, said the data gathered by the study would create a “lasting resource for the whole of UK and global science”.
“It’s designed in such a way that it can answer loads of different questions, it’s not focusing on specific ones,” he told PA. He said the study would give information on the economy, parental employment, childcare uptake, children’s health and well-being, their early language skills and school readiness.
“All of that is very much in scope, (we are) trying to understand what the outcomes are for children and families in this next generation,” he said.
Prof Fearon said: “There’s a huge interest in the potential for genetic data to really illuminate the causes of health conditions that wouldn’t have been possible before, and having that data from the very beginning of the study is not totally unique globally, but we will be one of the first nationally representative birth cohorts to have genotyping in right at the beginning. And that’s going to be really powerful.
“A lot of people are talking about screen time and digital media and social media, that’s a huge issue, and it’s moved so much since 2000 – there really aren’t nationally representative UK-wide studies that allow us to get a fix on that properly. There’s a lot of interest in trying to understand the circumstances and outcomes and some of the causal factors involved in disability and special educational needs, so that’s also going to be a really important area of focus.
“And trying to get a handle on the rising rates of mental health conditions in children and young people is also going to be, I think, a very high priority for the study.” Parents of babies born in 2026 from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland will be invited to take part, with letters expected to start arriving on their doorsteps in autumn next year.
The start of the £42.8 million project will see parents give data at two key stages of their children’s lives – between nine to 11 months and again at three to four years. It is the intention that the Generation New Era study will track babies involved in the project throughout their lives.
The study, funded by the UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) Infrastructure Fund and the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), is the first new UK-wide longitudinal birth cohort study in 25 years. Other long-term studies have led to significant scientific advances and led to far-reaching political initiatives.
Prof Goodman, who works at the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, said: “I personally feel incredibly excited that there will be data on this next generation of children. It’s such a critical time, and the ability to inform policies that can improve the lives of children through really strong evidence is so compelling.”
Prof Fearon added: “You’re just doing something, largely on behalf of the whole community, to try and improve the lives of children and families, and that’s hugely exciting.”
Researchers said that the study would focus on engaging fathers and under-represented groups to ensure the study represented the population. It would collect data from across the UK, with academics from Swansea, Ulster, and Edinburgh universities also involved.
ESRC executive chair Stian Westlake said: “This is the latest in a series of UKRI research infrastructure investments supporting longitudinal population studies, and the first new UK-wide child-based study in 20 years.
“I am excited to see what Generation New Era will discover about the lives of children born next year and how they differ across the UK. The evidence this study produces can underpin policy that makes the UK a happier, healthier and fairer place, improving lives and livelihoods. It is an investment in the future that we are proud to make.”
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