Research article summary (published 30 May 2008):

Cognitive development in childhood and drinking behaviour over two decades in adulthood.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Childhood cognition predicts adult morbidity and mortality, potentially working through health behaviours. This study investigates if childhood cognition influences life course (i) non-drinking and (ii) binge drinking and pathways through which this might act-namely, childhood behaviour problems, adult social position and educational qualifications. METHODS: Prospective cohort of British births in March 1958, with information on cognition at 7, 11 and 16 years and alcohol use at 23, 33 and 42 years. Non-drinkers drank "infrequently/on special occasions" or "never". Binge drinkers consumed >or=10 units/occasion (men) and >or=7 units/occasion (women). RESULTS: Lower cognitive ability increased the odds of non-drinking at each adult survey (for example, for men at 42 years OR 1.52 (95% CI 1.34 to 1.72) per SD decrease in 7-year maths). Associations remained after adjustment for pathway factors (i) behaviour problems, (ii) adult social position and (iii) educational qualifications. Decreased ability rank across childhood (7-16 years) also increased odds of non-drinking at 42 years, but the association operated via pathway factors. Lower 7-year ability elevated the odds of 42-year binge drinking, operating via pathway factors. Declining ability rank across childhood also increased the odds of adult binge drinking; associations operated through behavioural problems, adult social position and qualifications. In women, the decline in risk of binge drinking from an age 23-year peak to 42 years was associated with higher 7-year score. CONCLUSIONS: Poorer childhood cognition was associated with non-drinking and binge drinking up to the early 40s. Associations between childhood cognition and drinking status may mediate between childhood cognition and adult health.

Author information

Author/s: Jefferis, B J M H (BJ); Manor, O (O); Power, C (C);

Affiliation: UCL Institute of Child Health, Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK. b.jefferis(-atsign-)pcps.ucl.ac.uk

Grants: (Agency:Medical Research Council)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Journal of epidemiology and community health (J Epidemiol Community Health), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jun; vol 62 (issue 6) : pp 506-12

Dates: Created 2008/05/14; Completed 2008/06/16;

PMID: 18477749, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent Adult Alcohol Drinking Child Child Development - physiology Cognition Educational Status Female

Humans Intelligence Male Mathematics Odds Ratio Prospective Studies Risk Assessment - methods Social Class

Related articles

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

• Developmental trends for object and spatial working memory: a psychophysiological analysis. 29 Apr 2007
• The effect of differing scoring methods for the Tower of London task on developmental patterns of performance. 30 Jul 2001
• Construct-related validity of the Toglia Category Assessment and the Deductive Reasoning test with children who are typically developing. 30 Aug 2001
• Breastfeeding, very long polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and IQ at 6 1/2 years of age. 29 Sep 2004
• Sheldon H. White (1928-2005). 30 Aug 2007
• Research on the development of academic skills: introduction to the special issue on early literacy and early numeracy. 30 May 2000
• Time and number discrimination in a bisection task with a sequence of stimuli: a developmental approach. 30 Dec 2002
• Preschoolers doing arithmetic: the concepts are willing but the working memory is weak. 30 May 2000
• [Developmental age and growth of girls from areas with high atmospheric air pollution in Silesia] 30 Dec 1975
• A comparison between children's and adults' ability to detect conceptual information conveyed through representational gestures. 30 Jan 1998

See 100+ related articles.

Related Article Map

Legend: - FREE Full text Article. - Abstract only. - Title only. More help.

See a large map of 100+ related articles.