2005/10/04 by Michael Wadsworth, Diana Kuh, Marcus Richards +1 · 2 citations
Medicine · Decision Sciences · Health Professions · #Birth, Development, and Health #demographic modeling and climate adaptation #Global Health Care Issues #Cohort #Medicine #Population #Cohort study #Fertility #Infant mortality #Commission #Demography #Family medicine #Environmental health #Political science #Law
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/ije/dyi201
openalex publication_date 2005/10/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
The first of the British National Birth Cohort studies aimed to address two health and social policy questions of importance in the years before the establishment of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1948. The first question, identified by the Royal Commission on Population, asked why the national fertility rate had been falling consistently since the middle of the 19th century. A proposed explanation was that the ‘medical and other costs associated with the birth of a baby may today be a serious deterrent to parenthood.’1 The second question asked ‘what was the national distribution and use of obstetric medical and midwifery services, and how far do they prevent premature and infant death, and promote the health of mothers and infants?’1 The study set up to address these questions was promoted by the Royal College of Obstetricians and the Population Investigation Committee, and funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the National Birthday Trust Fund for a data collection from all who delivered births that took place during March 3–9, 1946 throughout England, Wales, and Scotland.