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Head injuries in early childhood in the UK; is there a social gradient?
Alejandra Letelier1,2, Richard G Watt2, Anja Heilmann2
1Instituto de Odontoestomatología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Región de Los Ríos, Chile alejandra.letelier.12@ucl.ac.uk.
Insights
This study found no social gradient in early childhood head injuries in the UK. However, head injuries were more common in children from deprived areas at ages 3 and 5.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Sociology
Background:
- Socioeconomic position is a known determinant of health outcomes in children.
- Understanding potential social gradients in early childhood head injuries is crucial for targeted prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between socioeconomic position and the incidence of head injuries in young children in the United Kingdom.
- To determine if a social gradient exists for early childhood head injuries.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study utilizing data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS).
- Logistic regression models analyzed associations between head injuries and socioeconomic indicators (social class, income, education, area deprivation) at ages 3, 5, and 7.
- Analyses were adjusted for multiple socioeconomic factors and demographic variables.
Main Results:
- Unadjusted analyses indicated associations between head injuries and area deprivation, lower income, and parental employment status at ages 3 and 5.
- Adjusted analyses revealed that higher area deprivation was linked to increased odds of head injuries at ages 3 and 5.
- No consistent social gradients in head injuries were observed across all socioeconomic measures and ages, particularly by age 7.
Conclusions:
- This study found no evidence of a social gradient in early childhood head injuries across various socioeconomic measures.
- However, a higher frequency of head injuries was noted in children residing in more deprived areas at ages 3 and 5.
- Further research may explore specific risk factors within deprived areas contributing to head injuries.
Objectives:
To examine if there is a social gradient in early childhood head injuries among UK children.
Methods:
Cross-sectional study, using data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study (MCS). The second, third and fourth sweeps of the MCS were analysed separately, when children were 3, 5 and 7 years old. Logistic regression models were used to explore the associations between head injuries and family socioeconomic position (social class, household income, maternal education and area deprivation).
Results:
The unadjusted analyses showed different associations with socioeconomic indicators at different ages. At age 3 and 5 years, head injuries were associated with higher area deprivation, lower household income and parents not being in work or in the routine social class. At age 5 years head injuries were also associated with lower maternal education. At age 7 years only associations with area deprivation and maternal education were found. In adjusted analyses (mutually adjusted for all four socioeconomic indicators, maternal age, child age and child sex), the following associations were observed: at ages 3 and 5 years, higher levels of area deprivation were related to higher odds of head injuries. At age 3 years only, lower levels of maternal education were related to lower odds of head injuries. No social gradients were observed. At age 7 years, there were no significant associations between head injuries and any of the SEP measures.
Conclusion:
We observed no social gradients in early childhood head injuries. However, at ages 3 and 5 years, head injuries were more frequently reported for children living in more deprived areas.
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