CHILD OF THE
NEW CENTURY
UPDATE
SOME RESULTS FROM THE AGE 3 SURVEY
Most of the findings in this leaflet are
taken from a report called
‘Millennium Cohort Study Second
Survey: A User’s Guide to Initial
Findings’.
More information on this report is
available on the publications page of
the study website: www.childnc.net
These results are based on the assessments
the children did with the interviewer,
questions parents answered about their
children’s behaviour and the height and
weight measurements the interviewer took.
This research would not be possible without
the help of the children and families in the
study. Thank you very much for taking part in
the Child of the New Century study.
Cognitive
development
Cognitive skills are an important part of child
development. By cognitive skills, we mean
the child’s powers of reasoning, ability to
learn and mastery of language. Cognitive
development, even very early on in life, is
related to a child’s performance at school and
their educational achievement in later life.
At age 3, the children of the new century
completed two assessments of their cognitive
development: Naming Vocabulary and
School Readiness.
Naming Vocabulary measured the child’s
language skills. The children were shown a
series of pictures of everyday objects and
asked to name the object in each picture.
School Readiness measured the child’s
‘readiness’ for formal education by assessing
their knowledge of colours, letters,
numbers/counting, sizes, comparisons and
shapes. The children were asked to choose
the picture corresponding to each question
asked by the interviewer.
Which children had
better language skills?
■ Girls’ language skills were on average
about 3 months ahead of boys’.
■ Children from families with two natural
parents were about 1 month ahead of the
average for all children. Those in lone
natural parent families and those with one
natural parent and one step-parent were
about 4 months behind the average.
■ Children with more educated parents
performed better. Children with the most
educated parents (who had degree-level
or above qualifications) were about 3.5
months ahead of the average for all
children. Those with the least educated
parents (who did not have any
qualifications) were about 8.5 months
behind.
■ Children in higher income families
achieved better scores. Children in lowincome1 families were on average about 8
months behind those in higher income
families.
Which children had better
school readiness scores?
■ Girls did better than boys on average:
again they were about 3 months ahead.
■ Children with two natural parents were
about 1.5 months ahead of the average
for all children. Those in lone natural
parent families and those with one natural
parent and one step-parent were about
5.5 months behind the average.
■ Children of the most highly educated
parents were about 4.5 months ahead of
the average for all children. Those whose
parents had no qualifications were about
8.5 months behind.
■ Family income was associated with school
readiness scores. Children in low-income
families were on average about 9 months
behind those in higher income families.
Conclusion
Overall, the results show differences in
the cognitive development of children
from different family backgrounds. Better
scores were on average achieved by
children from two natural parent families,
those with higher family incomes and
those with more highly educated
parents. Girls also did better on average
than boys.
These are average scores for different
groups of children. They do not mean
that, for example, all boys are behind all
girls in their development. All children
develop at different rates and overall
gender and family background accounts
for only a small part of the differences in
cognitive development between
children.
1 Low income was defined as £292 per week or below for a couple
with two children and £214 per week or below for a lone parent with
two children. This was equivalent to 60 per cent or below average
(median) net income at the time of the Age 3 Survey. The definition of
low income was adjusted for family size by adding or subtracting £46
for each child e.g. for a lone parent with one child, low income was
defined as £168 per week or below.
YOU AND
YOUR CHILD
SOME RESULTS FROM THE AGE 3 SURVEY
Child behaviour
Learning to control their emotions and the
way they behave is an important part of a
child’s development.
Parents were asked about their child’s
behaviour in the self-completion part of the
interview. The answers given were used to
calculate an overall score for behavioural
problems which could range from 0
(indicating no problems) to 40 (indicating
more than occasional problems on all
questions). The questions asked about
conduct, hyperactivity, emotional problems
and interaction with other children.
Behavioural problems at age 3 may lead to
difficulties at school and in later life.
Which children had more
behavioural problems?
Average behavioural problems score
by parents’ occupation
12
10
8
11.4
8.6
9.1
9.3
10.4
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■ The average score was 9.3, indicating that
most children were well-adjusted and
were not displaying high levels of
behavioural problems at age 3. Scores of
17 or higher indicate severe behavioural
problems.
■ Children in Northern Ireland were on
average reported to have the least
behavioural problems (8.7), followed by
Scotland (8.9), Wales (9.1) and England
(9.4).
■ Behavioural problems were on average
reported less in girls (8.8) than boys (9.8).
■ Children in families with two natural
parents were on average reported to have
fewer behavioural problems (8.9) than
those from lone natural parent families
(11.2) and those with one natural parent
and one step-parent (11.8).
■ Increasing levels of parental education
were associated with fewer behavioural
problems. Children of the most educated
parents were given an average score of
7.9, whereas children of the least
educated parents had an average score of
11.9.
■ Fewer problems were reported for
children of parents in more skilled
occupations, as seen in the graph.
■ Children in low-income families were said
to have more behavioural problems
(average score of 11.4) than those in
higher income families (average score of
8.6).
How is behaviour at age 3
related to behaviour at 9
months?
At the 9-month interview, parents were asked
about the developmental milestones that
their child had reached in relation to their
gross and fine motor function skills and early
communicative gestures. The questions
about gross motor skills included standing
and walking, those about fine motor skills
included being able to pick up small objects,
and those about communicative gestures
included smiling and waving goodbye. The
minority who had not reached the normal
stage for their age were identified as ‘delayed’
in their behavioural development at 9 months.
■ Children with developmental delays at 9
months had more behavioural problems at
age 3 than the average.
■ The average score for behavioural
problems at age 3 was 9.3. Children with
gross motor function delay at 9 months
had an average score of 10.2, those with
fine motor function delay at 9 months had
an average score of 10.6 and those with
communicative gesture delay at 9 months
had an average score 10.8.
Conclusion
The results show that most 3-year-olds are
relatively free from behavioural problems.
However, there were differences in the
level of behavioural problems reported
among children from different family
backgrounds. Fewer behavioural
problems were on average reported for
children from two natural parent families,
those with higher incomes, those with
parents in more skilled occupations and
those with more highly educated parents.
Girls also had fewer problems on average
than boys.
These are average scores for different
groups of children. They do not mean
that, for example, all boys have more
behavioural problems than all girls.
Overall, gender and family background
account for only a small part of the
differences in behavioural development
between children.
In addition, it is possible that parents from
different backgrounds may have different
views about what kind of behaviour is
problematic.
Childhood obesity
Childhood obesity has been increasing in the
UK in recent decades, even amongst preschool children. The Health Survey for
England found that the proportion of
overweight (including obese) 2-5-year-old
children had risen from 17 to 22 per cent in
boys and from 20 to 25 per cent in girls
between 1995 and 2002.
or above were classified as overweight and
those with a BMI value of 19.6 or above were
classified as obese. For girls, the equivalent
BMI values were 17.6 (overweight) and 19.4
(obese).
Obese children are at increased risk of health
problems, such as type 2 diabetes and high
blood pressure, as well as psychosocial
problems, such as low self-esteem. They are
also more likely to be obese in adolescence
and adulthood. It is estimated that obesity
costs the National Health Service more than
£1 billion per year. Tackling childhood obesity
is a cross-Government priority. In 2004, the
Departments of Health; Education and Skills;
and Culture, Media and Sport created a joint
public service agreement target to halt the
year-on-year rise in obesity among children
under age 11 by 2010.
The average height and weight for boys and
girls are given in the table below for different
age groups. The child’s age is given in
months: 35-37 months corresponds to about
3 years, 38-40 months to about 3 1/4 years,
41-43 months to about 3 1/2 years and 44-46
months to about 3 3/4 years.
At age 3, the children had their height and
weight measured by interviewers. Height and
weight were used to calculate the child’s body
mass index (BMI). This is a ratio of height and
weight and is calculated by dividing weight in
kilograms by height in metres squared.
Children were classified as overweight or obese
according to their BMI value, sex and exact
age in months. Boys with a BMI value of 17.9
Which children were more
likely to be overweight or
obese?
Height in centimetres (cm)
Height in feet and inches (ft, in)
Child’s age in months
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
35-37
96 cm
95 cm
3 ft 2 in
3 ft 1 in
38-40
97 cm
96 cm
3 ft 2 in
3 ft 2 in
41-43
99 cm
98 cm
3 ft 3 in
3 ft 3 in
44-46
101 cm
100 cm
3 ft 4 in
3 ft 3 in
Weight in kilograms (kg)
Weight in stones and pounds (st, lb)
Child’s age in months
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
35-37
15.6 kg
14.9 kg
2 st 6 lb
2 st 5 lb
38-40
16.1 kg
15.3 kg
2 st 8 lb
2 st 6 lb
41-43
16.6 kg
16.0 kg
2 st 9 lb
2 st 7 lb
44-46
17.2 kg
16.5 kg
2 st 10 lb
2 st 9 lb
2 Childhood overweight and obesity by
mother’s highest academic qualification
1 Childhood overweight and
obesity by UK country
Overweight
30%
Obesity
Overweight
Obesity
30%
25%
25%
20%
20%
15%
15%
10%
10%
5%
5%
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■ Eighteen per cent of the children were
overweight and 5 per cent were obese.
■ There were no differences between
boys and girls in the proportion
overweight or obese.
■ Children in Wales, Scotland, and
Northern Ireland were on average more
likely to be overweight or obese than
those in England, as shown in graph 1.
■ Children whose mothers had the
equivalent of at least five GCSE grades
A-C were on average less likely to be
overweight or obese than those whose
mother had lower qualifications or
none, as shown in graph 2.
What was the average
height and weight?
Height was measured in centimetres and
weight was measured in kilograms. The table
below also gives height in feet and inches
(rounded to the nearest inch) and weight in
stones and pounds (rounded to the nearest
pound). This rounding is the reason that
some differences in height in centimetres
between boys and girls are not seen when
height is converted to feet and inches.
Overall, boys were about one centimetre
(about half an inch) taller and about twothirds of a kilogram (about one-and-a-half
pounds) heavier than girls.
Conclusion
Just under a quarter of 3-year-olds were overweight or obese and there is evidence
of differences between social groups. These findings can assist Government in
tackling childhood obesity by helping to inform public health policy.
These are average body mass index (BMI) values for different groups of children.
Overall, family background accounts for only a small part of the differences in BMI
between children.
CHILD OF THE
NEW CENTURY
UPDATE
How can I interpret
these results in
relation to my child?
Child of the New Century is a research
study which uses specially trained
interviewers to carry out cognitive
assessments and physical measurements
with children and to ask survey questions
of parents. The developmental scores that
we get for children in the study can be
used for research purposes as they give a
good general indication of child
development. However, we are not able to
provide clinically accurate measures of an
individual child’s development as this can
only be done by qualified educational
psychologists or health professionals.
What can I do if I
have concerns
about my child’s
development?
The results presented in this leaflet are
averages for different groups of children.
They do not mean that all children in
certain groups are doing better or worse
than all children in other groups. The
factors explored here account for only a
small part of the differences between
children.
Many other factors can make a difference
to children’s development. These include
things that parents can do at home such as
reading to children and helping them to
control their emotions and behaviour.
If you have concerns about your child’s
development or would like information or
advice on parenting, please contact
Parentline Plus on 0808 800 2222
or www.parentlineplus.org.uk, your local
citizens advice bureau or your GP.
Keeping in touch
If you move to a new address or
change your phone number, please
let us know so we can contact you
in the future.
Staying in contact with us is easy.
You can:
■ Fill in the contact form on our website –
www.childnc.net
■ Email us at [email protected]
■ Call us free on 0800 092 1250
■ Or write to us at:
Child of the New Century, Centre for
Longitudinal Studies, Freepost LON20095,
London, WC1H 0BR (you won’t need a
stamp if you post your letter in the UK).
Thank you for continuing to take part in the
Child of the New Century study.
Design: [email protected] Photos: iStock.com
In a short leaflet like this, it is impossible to do justice to the huge
amount of information that is collected from you. Our aim in the future
is to include more information on the website dedicated to the families
of Child of the New Century at www.childnc.net. Watch this space!