the millennium cohort study shirley dex institute of education, university of london centre for...
TRANSCRIPT
The Millennium Cohort Study
Shirley Dex
Institute of Education,
University of London
Centre for Longitudinal Studies
Why cohort studies are important
Birth cohort studies are expensive compared to cross-sectional surveys, but they are important because: They tell the linked stories of the lives of the
members They record how long someone occupies a
given state They link events across the life course & across
domains They enable investigation of the cause &
effects, early experience to later outcomes
Design Features of MCS
Cohort born over 12 month period Season of birth effects Spread workload of professional interviewers Sampling necessitated
Geographically clustered by electoral ward Wards being disproportionately stratified
3 types of ward; advantaged, disadvantages and high minority ethnic
Content multi-purpose & multidisciplinary
Elements and content of the first survey: Mother (75 mins)
Interview Self-completionEthnicity & language
Baby’s father
Lone parenthood
Pregnancy, labour & delivery
Baby’s health & development
Childcare
Grandparents, friends & social support
Parental health
Education & training
Employment & earnings
Housing, local community & services
Time with & without the baby
Other interests
Baby’s temperament & behaviour
Relationship with partner
Previous relationships
Domestic tasks
Previous pregnancies
Mental health
Attitudes to relationships, parenting, work, etc
Elements and content of the first survey: Father (30 mins)
Interview Self-Completion
Ethnicity & language
Father’s involvement with baby
Grandparents, friends & social support
Parental health
Education & training
Employment & earnings
Time with & without the baby
Other interests
Baby’s temperament & behaviour
Relationship with partner
Previous relationships
Children living elsewhere
Mental health
Attitudes to relationships, parenting, work, etc
MCS1 sample size, by country
ChildrenFamilies
interviewed Partners
Single Parents
Total UK 398 20,646 18,819 18,553 13,599 3,194
ENGLAND 200 13,146 11,695 11,533 8,558 1,853
WALES 73 3,000 2,799 2,761 1,957 590
N IRELAND 63 2,000 1,955 1,923 1,326 376
SCOTLAND 62 2,500 2,370 2,336 1,758 375
Notes ** all productive contacts* counting 'superwards' as a single
Achieved Responses **Number of sample
'wards' *
Target sample as boosted
MCS Response Rates, By Country
Achieved Response Rate
In-scope Fieldwork Response Rate
WALES 72% 84%
ENGLAND 68% 82%
SCOTLAND 70% 85%
NORTHERN IRELAND
63% 79%
Patterns of Parenthood at the beginning of the 21st Century
Family Type by Mother’s Age
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
14 to19
20 to24
25 to29
30 to34
35 to39
40 orover
Lone natural mother
Both natural parents -cohabiting
Both natural parents -married
Patterns of Parenthood at the beginning of the 21st Century
Family Type by Baby’s Ethnic Identity
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Lone natural mother
Both natural parents -cohabiting
Both natural parents -married
Patterns of Parenthood at the beginning of the 21st Century
Non-resident fathers
Frequency non-resident father sees baby 36.4% - not in any contact
14.6% - less than once a month or never
17.9% - at least once a week
16.7% - 3-6 times a week
14.4% - every day
Patterns of Parenthood at the beginning of the 21st Century
Grandparents Financial help for essentials
24.7% of mother’s parent(s) 21.1% of father’s parent(s) Provision of childcare while at work 35.3% of mother’s parent(s) 18.8% of father’s parent(s) Co-residence 4.5% with mother’s parent(s) 2% with father’s parent(s)
Patterns of Parenthood at the beginning of the 21st Century
Living with grandparents by Baby’s Ethnic Group
0
10
20
30
40
%Maternalgrandparent(s)Paternalgrandparent(s)
Mothers who ever breastfedby type of ward
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
ENGLAND WALES SCOTLAND N IRELAND
Ethnic
Advantaged
Disadvantaged
Parents’ units of alcohol consumption
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Mothers Fathers
Un
its
pe
r w
ee
k-
av
era
ge
England ethnic Other England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland
Note: One unit of alcohol = 10g alcohol (approximately half a pint of beer / one glass of wine)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Respondent
Partner
Non-resident partner
Grandparents
Other relatives
Friends/neighbours
Nanny/au pair
Childminder
Nursery
When at work When not at work
Types of childcare used when main respondent a) at work or college and b) at
other times
Parents’ Employment
Parents’ Employment in UK
Two Parent Families
Both Working 54.5%
Father only Working 36.4%
Mother only Working 2.4%
Neither Working 6.7%
Lone Parent Families
Lone Parent Working 24.7%
Lone Parent Not Working 75.3%
MCS2: Design & Fieldwork
The second MCS survey is taking place around the time of the children’s third birthdays
The survey will follow all those 18553 families who took part in MCS1 plus some 500 New families in England who were missed by DWP last time
Fieldwork started in September 2003 in England & Wales and in December in Scotland & Northern Ireland.
MCS2 includes Mums (60 mins), Dads ( 17mins), the cohort children themselves ( ca 30mins) and older siblings
MCS2: Elements of the survey – Cohort Child (20 minutes) Cognitive assessments:
British Ability Scales (II) Naming Vocabulary subscale – designed to measure expressive language & knowledge of names
Bracken Basic Concept Scale – Revised (BBCS-R)
MCS uses subscales 1-6:1. Colours - primary & basic colour items2. Letters - upper & lowercase letters3. Numbers/Counting - single- and double-digit numbers & counting4. Sizes - one, two & three dimensions5. Comparisons 6. Shapes - one, two, and three dimensional shapes
MCS2: Elements of the survey – Cohort Child (Contd.)
Measurement of Height & Weight
Sample of Saliva (not for DNA purposes)
Interviewer observation of home environment & neighbourhood
Analysis Possibilities
MCS1 now MCS2 mid 2005 Cross cohort analysis Cross source e.g. census, International comparisons
Canada, Australia USA Young Lives: Ethiopia, India, Vietnam, Peru Scandinavia
MCS: The Future of Data collection
Future surveys are planned for: Age 5 2005-6 Age 7 2007-8
etc…….
Possible future design elements Obtain info on or from daycare provider at 3 At 5 and 7 Repeat interviews with resident parents Repeat cognitive and behavioural assessments with children Collect information from Schools? Collect information on child’s hospital episodes?
Useful Websites for Further Information
http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/Cohort/MCS/mcsmain.htmMillennium Cohort Study (MCS) Main pageIncludes: Rationale, Surveys, MCS Launch, Data Archive, Documentation, Contact details
http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/Cohort/MCS/Publications/mainpubs.htmAnnual report, Conference Papers, Journal Articles
http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/cms/get.asp?cid=6186Bedford Group (BG) on the Institute of Education (IoE) Website
http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/cms/get.asp?cid=6194&6194_0=8239MCS on BG/IoE Website including the MCS Users Guide to Initial Findings (Descriptive
Report)