A new study suggests that child illness is closely associated to people’s future health and career prospects. The research, partly funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) revealed, that individuals had a higher chance of being passed over for promotion in later life if they were hospitalized for prolonged times during childhood or had a low birth weight.
The individuals also had a higher tendency to develop heart disease by the time they reached middle age, concluding in a double heart health disadvantage for those who suffered ill health in infancy: children can be disadvantaged by ill health which contributes to poor heath health in later life.
Researchers analyzed careers of over 8,300 civil service workers between 1991 and 2004 as part of the well-known Whitehall II study. Those with a heavier birth weight and less time spent in hospital due to illness were more likely to become career high-flyers and earn more money in versus those whose birth weight was lower and had four or more weeks of hospitalization as a child.
However, according to the BHF, medical care has much improved since the studied participants were children showing that people with health problems early in life can often overcome those difficulties to pursue a successful career.
According research leader Prof. Mika Kivimaki from the University College London:
“Our new study shows a link between poor health in infancy and worse future job prospects, but as this study looked at a group of workers in the civil service over a specific period of time it shouldn’t be taken to apply to everyone. Our findings do demonstrate very clearly that your social circumstances can affect your risk of heart disease – underlining real health inequality problems that exist in the UK today.”
Ellen Mason, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the BHF, said:
“There are a lot of reasons why people might be ill as a child, and birth defects such as congenital heart disease can sadly affect anyone’s child. Families shouldn’t be worried by these findings – many people who have health problems in infancy go on to become career high-flyers.
But this study is a really important reminder that health inequality is embedded in our society from a very early age – even from birth. In a week when NHS cuts are high on the news agenda, this study couldn’t be more timely in giving a reminder of the vital importance of tackling health inequality right from the start of life.”
Improving people’s chances of a long, healthy life is one of MRC’s research priorities and Prof. Lyndal Bond, a senior MRC public health researcher, commented:
“This research group continues to play an important role in reminding policy-makers of the need to break the link between the start people have in life and poorer health in the future. The MRC’s many long-term studies have also revealed that people from more deprived backgrounds are more likely to be obese and have less access to health services, which in turn leads to increased risk of heart disease. This research provides further evidence that in order to tackle poor health we need to realize that it’s never too early to start to address the social determinants of health.”
Written by Petra Rattue