Brain tests may predict children at risk of becoming 'social burdens'

Conclusion This study aimed to test the hypothesis that childhood risks may be able to predict poor outcomes in adulthood (such as obesity, criminal convictions, rate of cigarette smoking etc.) that are potentially responsible for the greatest economic burden on society. Overall it found that the four factors – growing up in more socially deprived conditions, experience of child maltreatment, poor childhood IQ score, and exhibition of low self-control – were associated with poorer outcomes in adulthood. The research benefits from using a fairly large sample of individuals followed up from birth until midlife. As the authors also say, it wouldn't have been possible to identify these factors without the comprehensive databases and electronic health records that they had. However, cohort studies like this one aren't able to rule out the influence of other factors in the suspected links. We don't know that these four childhood risk factors are directly and independently responsible for the adult outcomes. The researchers' calculations of the proportion of economic burden that they could be contributing are estimates only, not certain answers. This is also a single New Zealand cohort. Analysing another birth cohort from a different culture or society could identify different high-burden adult outcomes, and different associated child factors. Even if the four identified risk factors are directly contributing to economic burden in society, what to actually do about it is anoth...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Mental health Pregnancy/child Source Type: news