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2021022320210226 (R4)~Born In Bradford is one of the world's largest longitudinal studies, tracking 14,000 children and their families and reporting on factors affecting health and well-being: Winifred Robinson reports.

Radio 4 has been alongside Born in Bradford since it started, in 2007. The first children recruited are now teenagers and Winifred Robinson investigates the impact of lockdown life on them. Such a wealth of information exists on the thousands of children in the study - from the basics of height and weight, through to their family backgrounds, living conditions and daily routines.

The researchers are now focusing on lockdown life and its impact on health; conducting detailed questionnaires with around 2,000 of the families. As the virus continues to spread through the community and the number of patients admitted to hospital slowly rises, the results provide a heart breaking insight into the impact on children.

Winifred looks at the findings and speaks to youngsters about their concerns. For some these revolve around fears their families will lose their homes and jobs - others have already seen this happen. The tales range from not having enough to eat, through to not having a winter coat. They explain how they cope and who they talk to about what is happening in their homes.

There are powerful insights into the emotional impact of lockdown on the youngsters. There has been an increase in hospitalisation rates for self-harm and accident and emergency staff have picked up other trends in admissions which concern them. This is such a difficult time and Professor John Wright, who heads the study, says these experiences are important to chronicle:

`The epidemic of mental-health is less visible but will have serious longer term consequences. The challenge that policy makers face is how to balance the scales of clinical harm from the virus on one side, against the wider social and economic harm on the other.`

Winifred Robinson finds out what's been happening to families tracked in Born in Bradford.

~Born In Bradford is one of the world's largest longitudinal studies, tracking 14,000 children and their families and reporting on factors affecting health and well-being: Winifred Robinson reports.

Radio 4 has been alongside Born in Bradford since it started, in 2007. The first children recruited are now teenagers and Winifred Robinson investigates the impact of lockdown life on them. Such a wealth of information exists on the thousands of children in the study - from the basics of height and weight, through to their family backgrounds, living conditions and daily routines.

The researchers are now focusing on lockdown life and its impact on health; conducting detailed questionnaires with around 2,000 of the families. As the virus continues to spread through the community and the number of patients admitted to hospital slowly rises, the results provide a heart breaking insight into the impact on children.

Winifred looks at the findings and speaks to youngsters about their concerns. For some these revolve around fears their families will lose their homes and jobs - others have already seen this happen. The tales range from not having enough to eat, through to not having a winter coat. They explain how they cope and who they talk to about what is happening in their homes.

There are powerful insights into the emotional impact of lockdown on the youngsters. There has been an increase in hospitalisation rates for self-harm and accident and emergency staff have picked up other trends in admissions which concern them. This is such a difficult time and Professor John Wright, who heads the study, says these experiences are important to chronicle:

`The epidemic of mental-health is less visible but will have serious longer term consequences. The challenge that policy makers face is how to balance the scales of clinical harm from the virus on one side, against the wider social and economic harm on the other.`

Winifred Robinson finds out what's been happening to families tracked in Born in Bradford.

2023111720231211 (R4)Around 30,000 Bradford school pupils aged between 11 and 15 are completing detailed questionnaires on every aspect of their lives; from how they spend their free time, to questions about their mental health, their use of social media, their family finances and even details of any risk taking behaviour. These insights will lead to a raft of new approaches aimed at improving their lives.

Winifred Robinson has been alongside Born in Bradford since the start, when more than 11,000 pregnant mothers in the city agreed to be followed through their pregnancies. Now those children are teenagers and the study has been widened to include all pupils across the city. Findings to date have helped inform government policy and have shaped responses to health problems.

Almost half of the mothers in the original cohort were of Pakistani origin and in 2013 Born in Bradford published one of the world's most detailed studies about cousin marriage. Around sixty four per cent of the Pakistani mothers had married a cousin and researchers found that consanguinity more than doubled the risk of having a child with a genetic disorder: from 2.8 percent in the general population to just over 6 percent.

The researchers have been able to use data from a second cohort of mothers recruited to the study from 2016 onwards and have found that there has been a fall in cousin marriage amongst the city's Pakistani community; over the last decade it's gone from being a majority practise to being a minority one.

Professor John Wright, who heads Born in Bradford, said that the rate of cousin marriage had fallen to 46 per cent, with the fall being steepest among younger mothers of Pakistani origin who were born in the UK. There are more of those mothers now. The researchers believe there are a lot of factors at play here – among them tougher immigration laws.

“So we've seen this quite steep reduction in rates of consanguinity and cousin marriage; it may be that the conversations that we've been having to raise awareness about genetic literacy have made an impact. It may be that this is part of acculturation of these young people as they grow up in the UK, with more individualization and more choice. In addition the 2012 Immigration Act made it harder to bring partners in for marriage and this has undoubtedly had an impact.

“When we first published the 2013 paper, there were calls from some of the more right wing media that cousin marriage should be banned. It's a sensitive topic: a billion people across the world practice consanguinity, so the idea that we're going to ban it was just nonsense. We wanted to show the health risk from it and to raise awareness. And we're seeing that effect now, in Bradford with the data that we've got ?

Khadija is 32 and works in a nursery in the city. She told the programme that although her parents were first cousins, she had chosen a love match: “ I think a lot more women in the community work and that means you've got more opportunity to meet somebody, and especially with all the social media out there. There are all sorts of options today that weren't available before, when it was a lot harder for you to meet somebody new.

“We're coming to an age now where a lot of young people are not really connected to their Pakistani roots as much as our parents and our grandparents were. We're moving away from the culture and embracing the British culture a lot more, there's a lot more acceptance. That works in marriage, so there's more acceptance when it comes to us finding our spouse and getting an education, a degree. ?

Seventeen year old Amari agrees, and says that although a lot of people in her family have cousin marriages, she would not chose it for herself: 'I would want my babies to be healthy, but I wouldn't go up to my grandparents and say what you're doing is wrong. Or if my cousin got married to my other cousin, I wouldn't go and say what you're doing is wrong. I just wouldn't do it myself because of reasons like that, but also it would be weird to think of marrying one of my cousins and that's a big thing for me. ?

Winifred Robinson reports from Bradford as 30,000 teenagers have their lives documented.

Winifred Robinson reports on research involving children born in Bradford 2007-2009.

When Born in Bradford began the idea was to involve thousands of parents and children in research that would help make people healthier: since then its huge ambitions have grown.

Almost half of the mothers in the original cohort were of Pakistani origin and in 2013 Born in Bradford published one of the world's most detailed studies about cousin marriage. Around sixty four per cent of the Pakistani mothers had married a cousin and researchers found that consanguinity more than doubled the risk of having a child with a genetic disorder: from 2.8 percent in the general population to just over 6 percent.

The researchers have been able to use data from a second cohort of mothers recruited to the study from 2016 onwards and have found that there has been a fall in cousin marriage amongst the city's Pakistani community; over the last decade it's gone from being a majority practise to being a minority one.

Professor John Wright, who heads Born in Bradford, said that the rate of cousin marriage had fallen to 46 per cent, with the fall being steepest among younger mothers of Pakistani origin who were born in the UK. There are more of those mothers now. The researchers believe there are a lot of factors at play here - among them tougher immigration laws.

`So we've seen this quite steep reduction in rates of consanguinity and cousin marriage; it may be that the conversations that we've been having to raise awareness about genetic literacy have made an impact. It may be that this is part of acculturation of these young people as they grow up in the UK, with more individualization and more choice. In addition the 2012 Immigration Act made it harder to bring partners in for marriage and this has undoubtedly had an impact.

`When we first published the 2013 paper, there were calls from some of the more right wing media that cousin marriage should be banned. It's a sensitive topic: a billion people across the world practice consanguinity, so the idea that we're going to ban it was just nonsense. We wanted to show the health risk from it and to raise awareness. And we're seeing that effect now, in Bradford with the data that we've got`

Khadija is 32 and works in a nursery in the city. She told the programme that although her parents were first cousins, she had chosen a love match: ` I think a lot more women in the community work and that means you've got more opportunity to meet somebody, and especially with all the social media out there. There are all sorts of options today that weren't available before, when it was a lot harder for you to meet somebody new.

`We're coming to an age now where a lot of young people are not really connected to their Pakistani roots as much as our parents and our grandparents were. We're moving away from the culture and embracing the British culture a lot more, there's a lot more acceptance. That works in marriage, so there's more acceptance when it comes to us finding our spouse and getting an education, a degree.`

Seventeen year old Amari agrees, and says that although a lot of people in her family have cousin marriages, she would not chose it for herself: 'I would want my babies to be healthy, but I wouldn't go up to my grandparents and say what you're doing is wrong. Or if my cousin got married to my other cousin, I wouldn't go and say what you're doing is wrong. I just wouldn't do it myself because of reasons like that, but also it would be weird to think of marrying one of my cousins and that's a big thing for me.`

Around 30,000 Bradford school pupils aged between 11 and 15 are completing detailed questionnaires on every aspect of their lives; from how they spend their free time, to questions about their mental health, their use of social media, their family finances and even details of any risk taking behaviour. These insights will lead to a raft of new approaches aimed at improving their lives.

Winifred Robinson has been alongside Born in Bradford since the start, when more than 11,000 pregnant mothers in the city agreed to be followed through their pregnancies. Now those children are teenagers and the study has been widened to include all pupils across the city. Findings to date have helped inform government policy and have shaped responses to health problems.

Almost half of the mothers in the original cohort were of Pakistani origin and in 2013 Born in Bradford published one of the world’s most detailed studies about cousin marriage. Around sixty four per cent of the Pakistani mothers had married a cousin and researchers found that consanguinity more than doubled the risk of having a child with a genetic disorder: from 2.8 percent in the general population to just over 6 percent.

The researchers have been able to use data from a second cohort of mothers recruited to the study from 2016 onwards and have found that there has been a fall in cousin marriage amongst the city’s Pakistani community; over the last decade it’s gone from being a majority practise to being a minority one.

Professor John Wright, who heads Born in Bradford, said that the rate of cousin marriage had fallen to 46 per cent, with the fall being steepest among younger mothers of Pakistani origin who were born in the UK. There are more of those mothers now. The researchers believe there are a lot of factors at play here – among them tougher immigration laws.

“So we've seen this quite steep reduction in rates of consanguinity and cousin marriage; it may be that the conversations that we've been having to raise awareness about genetic literacy have made an impact. It may be that this is part of acculturation of these young people as they grow up in the UK, with more individualization and more choice. In addition the 2012 Immigration Act made it harder to bring partners in for marriage and this has undoubtedly had an impact.

“When we first published the 2013 paper, there were calls from some of the more right wing media that cousin marriage should be banned. It's a sensitive topic: a billion people across the world practice consanguinity, so the idea that we're going to ban it was just nonsense. We wanted to show the health risk from it and to raise awareness. And we're seeing that effect now, in Bradford with the data that we've got ?

Khadija is 32 and works in a nursery in the city. She told the programme that although her parents were first cousins, she had chosen a love match: “ I think a lot more women in the community work and that means you've got more opportunity to meet somebody, and especially with all the social media out there. There are all sorts of options today that weren't available before, when it was a lot harder for you to meet somebody new.

“We're coming to an age now where a lot of young people are not really connected to their Pakistani roots as much as our parents and our grandparents were. We’re moving away from the culture and embracing the British culture a lot more, there's a lot more acceptance. That works in marriage, so there’s more acceptance when it comes to us finding our spouse and getting an education, a degree. ?

Seventeen year old Amari agrees, and says that although a lot of people in her family have cousin marriages, she would not chose it for herself: "I would want my babies to be healthy, but I wouldn't go up to my grandparents and say what you're doing is wrong. Or if my cousin got married to my other cousin, I wouldn't go and say what you're doing is wrong. I just wouldn't do it myself because of reasons like that, but also it would be weird to think of marrying one of my cousins and that’s a big thing for me. ?

Winifred Robinson reports from Bradford as 30,000 teenagers have their lives documented.

Winifred Robinson reports on research involving children born in Bradford 2007-2009.

When Born in Bradford began the idea was to involve thousands of parents and children in research that would help make people healthier: since then its huge ambitions have grown.

Academic Achievement And Child Health20170630Winifred Robinson has been alongside the Born in Bradford researchers since the study was launched in 2007. The findings covered in this broadcast range from data on sleep patterns, through to studies on how children learn and the development of solutions to poor hand control which holds back writing and delayed motor skills. The youngsters are also being tracked to see who needs glasses and why so many of them fail to wear the very lenses which could effectively 'cure' eye problems and every family is being seen, scanned, weighed and measured in an effort to collect new markers on their health at this key point

Bradford has one of the highest birth rates in Britain but of the 6,000 babies born every year at least half are of South East Asian origin and face rates of diabetes and heart disease of four times the national average. Ten years on from the launch of Born in Bradford the researchers have been able to combine health research with a new generation growing up, to help improve the health of the next generation. Of the 14,000 babies recruited into the study, the parents were found to come from 46 different countries and to speak 52 different languages.

The children and their families were recruited between 2007 and 2009, and are now between eight and ten years old. They are being asked for information on many aspects of their life, starting with their bed time routines. There are different factors at work in the white and Asian communities and many of the children are going to sleep with computer screens, televisions and mobiles in their rooms. Researchers are keen to see what impact their bed times and preparations for bed have on their health, school attainment and wellbeing.

Other areas of study include the push to improve fitness levels throughout the city, in part by focusing on the Mosques and ways of getting lifestyle messages across in a community with high rates of diabetes, in particular. There are women only gyms springing up and Winifred meets some of the Asian mothers hoping to improve their lifestyles. She also tracks the research underway in 89 local schools as children are asked about how much sport and exercise they do. These children are being tested for hand eye coordination and other patterns which could affect their educational attainment. At Leeds University robotic arms are being produced to provide inexpensive solutions to Bradford teachers once problems with pen control, for instance, have been identified.

Dr John Wright, who leads the study, believes that it is changing lives and he is keen for Bradford to be viewed as the City of Research. In part the change comes from new findings and adapting approaches, but there is also a protective element from having such a close role in the lives of so many: 'These youngsters are growing up with health researchers alongside them and we see this as a collaborative approach which helps our teams and the families of this city.'.

Winifred Robinson reports on the Born in Bradford research involving thousands of babies.

Air Pollution And Child Health20140516The Born in Bradford researchers are determined that theirs should be an applied health research study with results leading to better services. 'Everything we do gets translated into practice so that our work on congenital anomalies has led to a city register for these children and also a Yorkshire register,' says Professor John Wright, the Director of the Bradford Institute for Health Research.

The tradition of marrying a cousin is becoming more entrenched among British-born Pakistanis living in Bradford than it was a generation ago. Cousin marriage has important implications for health because marrying a cousin increases the risks of passing on genetic disorders. Ruba, who married her second cousin, had two children with I-cell disease. Tragically both Hassam and Alishbah died and professionals working with couples like Ruba and her husband hope that in the future they will be able to provide better genetic screening and advice.

'It was a real shock to me when he was diagnosed,' she says, 'I didn't even know what it was, we've nearly all been married to cousins in our family and we didn't know this condition existed.'

~Born In Bradford was launched in 2007 - one of the world's largest longitudinal studies with 13,500 babies and their mothers agreeing to be followed. The impetus for research came from high infant mortality rates - double the national average - and so far the data has resulted in changes including universal testing for gestational diabetes and greater counselling about conditions associated with cousin marriages. About 39 per cent of mothers in the study are of white British origin, and 46 per cent are from Pakistan, providing a fascinating insight into a new multi-ethnic generation

With those babies having reached school age there's greater attention on research projects examining how they fare. In 2012 researchers began testing hand and eye co-ordination, vocabulary and letter recognition with all the children in the reception classes of 88 primary schools. They also worked with school nurses to measure cardiovascular health and in this programme they examine other factors influencing health, including air pollution, exercise levels and diet.

Winifred follows some of the Bradford youngsters given air pollution monitoring back packs as they go about their daily lives. These are equipped with ultra violet analysis and I-phones that track their route to and from school and link exposure levels through local pollution monitoring units. The backpacks sit next to the youngsters during class and even give an indication of exposure during play times, for example. Those taking part give samples which are being monitored and assessed when variables, like the school route, are changed.

There are also the new stand sit desks - something all of us might be hearing more about given concerns about our more sedentary lifestyles. At one Bradford school pupils are trialling desks which can be raised and lowered, giving youngsters some movement during lessons. Wearing activity monitors the benefits can be judged in terms of increased metabolic rates as well whether they improve concentration levels. Medical research suggests constant sitting is harming health - stand sit desks might provide a solution that extends beyond.

Winifred Robinson follows health research into the lives of thousands of Bradford babies.

Birthweight And Health2008111220090326 (R4)Winifred Robinson follows the fortunes of some of the thousands of babies being tracked by the Bradford Institute for Health Research in an effort to find out why genetic disorders and cases of infant and child mortality are so high in the city of Bradford.

Eventually, 10,000 families will be recruited in what will be the most ambitious study of children's health ever undertaken in the world.

This is the first of three programmes to be broadcast over 18 months that will follow the progress of the study.

Why are genetic disorders and cases of infant mortality are so high in Bradford?

Child Development And Attainment2018121420190917 (R4)Beginning in 2007 researchers have recruited 14,000 mothers and babies across this city. Each has donated blood and tissue samples and completed a lengthy questionnaire, running to 42 pages, detailing diet, family structures, relationships, incomes, mental and physical health. The project is run by Professor John Wright, a consultant clinical epidemiologist at Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust, who said that Born in Bradford had set in motion a quiet revolution in the city:

`There's much more recognition that just being part of the study has made mothers much more aware of diet and health and many say they have made changes to improve their health.

`What's also interesting is the effect it's had on galvanising the city - when we set out on the study we didn't realise it would become part of the city's.`

`This spotlight of research makes you think about your health much more: because we're always asking questions it does trigger changes and the other aspect of it is the results that the study is producing. We've found very clear evidence about being in green spaces and the impact on the future long term health of the baby,` says Professor Wright.

The research began in response to poor health in the city and high levels of child morbidity and mortality. Bradford had child mortality rates twice the national average - and rising at a time when they were falling everywhere else. Radio 4 has been given exclusive access to this research and to some of the families taking part, returning year after year to chart progress in a series of documentaries.

Producer: Sue Mitchell

Winifred Robinson tracks the lives of the 14,000 families taking part in Born in Bradford.

Beginning in 2007 researchers have recruited 14,000 mothers and babies across this city. Each has donated blood and tissue samples and completed a lengthy questionnaire, running to 42 pages, detailing diet, family structures, relationships, incomes, mental and physical health. The project is run by Professor John Wright, a consultant clinical epidemiologist at Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust, who said that Born in Bradford had set in motion a quiet revolution in the city:

`There's much more recognition that just being part of the study has made mothers much more aware of diet and health and many say they have made changes to improve their health.

`What's also interesting is the effect it's had on galvanising the city - when we set out on the study we didn't realise it would become part of the city's.`

`This spotlight of research makes you think about your health much more: because we're always asking questions it does trigger changes and the other aspect of it is the results that the study is producing. We've found very clear evidence about being in green spaces and the impact on the future long term health of the baby,` says Professor Wright.

The research began in response to poor health in the city and high levels of child morbidity and mortality. Bradford had child mortality rates twice the national average - and rising at a time when they were falling everywhere else. Radio 4 has been given exclusive access to this research and to some of the families taking part, returning year after year to chart progress in a series of documentaries.

Producer: Sue Mitchell

Winifred Robinson tracks the lives of the 14,000 families taking part in Born in Bradford.

Cot Death And Co-sleeping20120418Families have given blood samples, medical histories, details of their educational attainment, eating and parenting habits, family structures and incomes. As the first children to join the study start school, Winifred finds out how they have fared.

The research team is based at the Bradford Royal Infirmary and its work will provide solid evidence to help answer some of the great medical puzzles of our time: everything from why some people have heart disease and depression to what is driving the rises in incidence of diabetes, asthma and obesity. The findings on cot death are just about to be released, with results that will significantly modify the guidance to parents. Other studies soon to be released with assess how far a pregnant mother's diet affects her baby's health.

The city is ethnically diverse - more than half of the 6,000 babies born each year have a mother of Pakistani origin. Bradford also has the highest rate of genetic illness in Britain and this is due to genetic disorders passed on in cousin marriages. The research has demonstrated that two thirds of mothers of Pakistani origin in Bradford have husbands who are their first or second cousins - which significantly increases the risk of autosomal recessive conditions.

This is the third programme in a continuing series and a chance to see how life is unfolding for young optimistic mothers in sometimes troubled relationships and difficult circumstances. Winifred spoke to them four years ago and catches up with their stories again.

According to the Head of the study, Professor John Wright - an epidemiologist based at Bradford Royal Infirmary - the aim is to find out more about the causes of childhood illness in children from all cultures and classes as their lives unfold: 'It's like a medical detective story really - trying to piece together the clues in people's lifestyles, their environments and their genetic make-up, as we try to determine whether someone falls sick or someone doesn't.'.

Winifred Robinson tracks researchers on one of the world's largest child health studies.

Cousin Marriage And Birth Defects2010071920100914 (R4)10,000 families have been recruited in one of the most ambitious studies of children's health ever undertaken in the world. Bradford has twice the national rate of infant mortality and the highest rate of genetic illness in Britain. Overall sixty per cent of births in the city are to families living amongst the poorest twenty per cent of those in the UK. Bradford tops the national tables for heart disease, strokes and diabetes

Over half of the 6,000 babies born in the city every year are to Pakistani mothers and two thirds of these women are married to first or second cousins - which significantly increases the risk of autosomal recessive (i.e. genetic) conditions. Doctors have identified 147 of these different conditions in Bradford children, compared to between fifteen and twenty in other health districts. Many lead to severe disabilities and reduced life expectancy.

According to the Head of the study, Professor John Wright, an epidemiologist based at Bradford Royal Infirmary, the aim is to find out more about the causes of childhood illness in newborns from all cultures and classes: 'It's like a medical detective story really - trying to piece together the clues in people's lifestyles, their environments and their genetic make-up, as we try to determine whether someone falls sick or someone doesn't.

Safina Nagvi and her sister, Tahira, are keen to support the research. Tahira has just given birth to her third child but has suffered various complications which she says might be linked to genetic problems: 'we both married first cousins, and it is OK for us, it's not like we've been forced or we're unhappy - the way we've been brought up it is normal for us, we are happy with things that way.

But we have had things in our family, though. My son was born five weeks early. He had a condition where the gut and the stomach were joined together. I actually got a heart birth defect - they had to widen one of the arteries up. I also had the same problem that my son had when I was born and we would like to know why'.

According to Ann Barratt, the Family liaison officer for the project, one aspect of the study is people looking at why these things are happening: 'we would like better understanding of some of these quite rare conditions you see in Bradford. One of the main reasons for the study was because the still birth rate was almost double the UK average a few years ago and that's one of the things we're looking at, why is the mortality rate higher.'.

Doctors are tracking thousands of Bradford babies from birth to better understand illness.

10,000 families have been recruited in one of the most ambitious studies of children's health ever undertaken in the world. Bradford has twice the national rate of infant mortality and the highest rate of genetic illness in Britain. Overall sixty per cent of births in the city are to families living amongst the poorest twenty per cent of those in the UK. Bradford tops the national tables for heart disease, strokes and diabetes

Over half of the 6,000 babies born in the city every year are to Pakistani mothers and two thirds of these women are married to first or second cousins - which significantly increases the risk of autosomal recessive (i.e. genetic) conditions. Doctors have identified 147 of these different conditions in Bradford children, compared to between fifteen and twenty in other health districts. Many lead to severe disabilities and reduced life expectancy.

According to the Head of the study, Professor John Wright, an epidemiologist based at Bradford Royal Infirmary, the aim is to find out more about the causes of childhood illness in newborns from all cultures and classes: 'It's like a medical detective story really - trying to piece together the clues in people's lifestyles, their environments and their genetic make-up, as we try to determine whether someone falls sick or someone doesn't.

Safina Nagvi and her sister, Tahira, are keen to support the research. Tahira has just given birth to her third child but has suffered various complications which she says might be linked to genetic problems: 'we both married first cousins, and it is OK for us, it's not like we've been forced or we're unhappy - the way we've been brought up it is normal for us, we are happy with things that way.

But we have had things in our family, though. My son was born five weeks early. He had a condition where the gut and the stomach were joined together. I actually got a heart birth defect - they had to widen one of the arteries up. I also had the same problem that my son had when I was born and we would like to know why'.

According to Ann Barratt, the Family liaison officer for the project, one aspect of the study is people looking at why these things are happening: 'we would like better understanding of some of these quite rare conditions you see in Bradford. One of the main reasons for the study was because the still birth rate was almost double the UK average a few years ago and that's one of the things we're looking at, why is the mortality rate higher.'.

Doctors are tracking thousands of Bradford babies from birth to better understand illness.

Diabetes And Mental Illness In Extended Families20130614~Born In Bradford is one of the biggest medical research studies undertaken in the UK: its aim is to find out more about the causes of illness by studying children as their lives unfold. Winifred Robinson has been alongside researchers from the start, in 2007, and has followed the recruitment of 14,000 babies and their families. They are now been tracked and Information gathered has already led to changes in how pregnant women in the city are monitored and their babies cared for.In this programme Winifred looks at research into the effect of the potentially toxic chemical, acrylamide - present in a range of foods, including crisps, coffee and chips. The diet of mothers to be in Bradford contributed to an international study of 1,100 pregnant women and newborns, led by the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Spain. The babies in Bradford were found to have the highest levels of acrylamide, which can cause lower birth rates and smaller heads. These birth outcomes are linked to health problems in later life, including poor child health, delayed brain development, and diabetes and heart disease in adulthood.According to Professor John Wright, a clinical epidemiologist at the Bradford Institute for Health Research, the findings show how important it is to start educating pregnant women about the risks: 'our study provides the most definitive scientific evidence yet that eating foods high in acrylamide during the critical pregnancy period can affect foetal health. The level found in the Bradford babies was twice the level of the Danish babies, for instance. Pregnant women need to be given more information about the risk from acrylamide and the food industry must also explore effective ways of reducing acrylamide levels in its products.'The impetus for the Born in Bradford study came from the high infant mortality rate in the City - the second highest in the country at the launch of the study, according to the Bradford Infant Mortality Commission. In addition Bradford has a range of autosomal recessive conditions which aren't seen elsewhere - with more than 150 of them identified by paediatricians and community teams. In an effort to understand some of these extremely rare conditions researchers have been tracing the genetic history of new parents and looking at the part played by cousin marriages, which account for three quarters of marriages amongst Pakistanis in the city. The Born in Bradford team is now on the brink of providing the most detailed calculation of the actual risks involved in cousin marriage. One of the advantages of this work is that those in the position of having children with recessive conditions can be offered alternatives when they next consider getting pregnant. Ruba is 24 and has two children with I Cell disease, a rare and incurable metabolic disorder which has already claimed the life of her five year old son, Hassan and which will inevitably kill his younger sister, Alishba. Ruba is married to her cousin and has a one in four chance of any subsequent pregnancies resulting in children born with the same condition. Winifred follows Ruba as she considers her options and listens to the advice and guidance offered.

Thousands of Bradford babies are being followed in the biggest health survey of its kind.

Diabetes And Tooth Decay2019102220191126 (R4)~Born In Bradford is one of the world's largest longitudinal studies, involving 14,000 babies and their families and reaping data on all aspects of health as the children grow. Winifred Robinson has been alongside the research from the start.

With the 14,000 youngsters now entering their teenage years the researchers are tracking a wide range of data, from mental illness through to what might determine whether they need to wear braces. Over half of the families in the study are of Pakistani origin and previous programmes have investigated the links between cousin marriage, infant mortality and a number of rare conditions seen in the city.

In this programme Winifred follows researchers trying to determine why the city is seeing an increase in type 2 diabetes in youngsters. When Consultant Paediatrician Matthew Mathai first started work in the city eleven years ago it was rare to see children with type 2 diabetes and yet, today, he and his team are facing rising numbers of cases and have fears that there are many more that are in a pre-diabetic state and not receiving the interventions that might help them.

Winifred meets 14-year-old Zaira, who was diagnosed two weeks ago and has been plucking up the courage to tell her best friend that she has diabetes. She fears people will jump to the conclusion that it's because she's overweight and says there is a stigma to getting it so young. Dietician Alison Woodhead is working with Zaira to look at how she can exercise more and eat a more balanced diet.

A fortnight in and Zaira says that she is definitely trying hard to turn things around: she has largely given up chocolate and fizzy drinks. She is also going to the park with her dad and using gym equipment at home to work out. For Alison it is good news, but she worries about how easy it will be to continue the changes once winter sets in. The other big problem is that Bradford is home to a vast number of takeaway outlets, many of which are placed around schools in the city.

Winifred will also be investigating the high levels of tooth decay amongst youngsters in Bradford, with 40 per cent of five-year-olds having decay and a child a week needing to have all of their baby teeth extracted. This compares to the national average of 25 per cent, which in itself is quite high. Dr Peter Day is following a thousand of the youngsters in Born in Bradford to see whether this early tooth extraction has an impact on the need for braces in adolescents.

Producer: Sue Mitchell

Winifred Robinson's latest report on the families of children born in Bradford 2007-2009.

~Born In Bradford is one of the world's largest longitudinal studies, involving 14,000 babies and their families and reaping data on all aspects of health as the children grow. Winifred Robinson has been alongside the research from the start.

With the 14,000 youngsters now entering their teenage years the researchers are tracking a wide range of data, from mental illness through to what might determine whether they need to wear braces. Over half of the families in the study are of Pakistani origin and previous programmes have investigated the links between cousin marriage, infant mortality and a number of rare conditions seen in the city.

In this programme Winifred follows researchers trying to determine why the city is seeing an increase in type 2 diabetes in youngsters. When Consultant Paediatrician Matthew Mathai first started work in the city eleven years ago it was rare to see children with type 2 diabetes and yet, today, he and his team are facing rising numbers of cases and have fears that there are many more that are in a pre-diabetic state and not receiving the interventions that might help them.

Winifred meets 14-year-old Zaira, who was diagnosed two weeks ago and has been plucking up the courage to tell her best friend that she has diabetes. She fears people will jump to the conclusion that it's because she's overweight and says there is a stigma to getting it so young. Dietician Alison Woodhead is working with Zaira to look at how she can exercise more and eat a more balanced diet.

A fortnight in and Zaira says that she is definitely trying hard to turn things around: she has largely given up chocolate and fizzy drinks. She is also going to the park with her dad and using gym equipment at home to work out. For Alison it is good news, but she worries about how easy it will be to continue the changes once winter sets in. The other big problem is that Bradford is home to a vast number of takeaway outlets, many of which are placed around schools in the city.

Winifred will also be investigating the high levels of tooth decay amongst youngsters in Bradford, with 40 per cent of five-year-olds having decay and a child a week needing to have all of their baby teeth extracted. This compares to the national average of 25 per cent, which in itself is quite high. Dr Peter Day is following a thousand of the youngsters in Born in Bradford to see whether this early tooth extraction has an impact on the need for braces in adolescents.

Producer: Sue Mitchell

Winifred Robinson's latest report on the families of children born in Bradford 2007-2009.

Mental Health2021060720210609 (R4)
20230109 (R4)
The focus of Born in Bradford is shifting, as young people in the study start to play a more active role in shaping the research. In this programme the focus is on mental health, as schools grapple with how lockdown has affected pupils and hospitals report an increase in referrals following self-harm and a range of anxiety related conditions. Winifred Robinson investigates and talks to young people about how research might help them and how they handle the pressures they feel.

Fifteen year old Billy has already benefited from a more pro-active approach to mental health and new links between the NHS and the 38 secondary schools across Bradford. He was feeling tired and lethargic during the pandemic and struggled to complete online lessons at home. His head teacher at the Keighley University Academy, Jon Scurr, invited him to take part in a new counselling service and he began addressing his problems, starting with prioritising his worries:

'I told the NHS practitioner about passing people me on the pavement and my fear of not knowing what strangers would do to me. She got me to explain the impact of this, how I'd tremble and my palms would get sweaty and she explained what to do in that process. It was such a help - that was all I needed to do, I feel so much better. Before I didn't feel energised and now I feel like studying and feel in control.'

For other head teachers the focus as Born in Bradford moves into this new phase will also bring opportunities to assess how pupils handle the move from primary to secondary school. Lynette Clapham is the head of Crossley Hall Primary and is worried about how covid will place extra pressures on year six pupils already worried about how they will cope:

'Change makes adults anxious and children anxious. It's also an added concern that they haven't been able to visit their new schools because of covid. We have to prepare them for what's next; we are on borrowed time with them. Some of the children are going to high schools on their own and not with friends from here - so far they haven't had the chance to meet others and get ready for what's ahead.'

Dr John Wright, who heads Born in Bradford, is excited by the new phase of research as the 13,000 Born in Bradford children move through their teenage years: `it's a remarkable period in life never do you get such change and transition and that's biological psychological and social change.

`There's a metamorphosis from being a child to an adult and it's a time of great change and experimentation. It's also a time of great change in our mental health - over half of mental disorders start in adolescence and we are very keen to understand the causes and what we can do and to track what happens over time

~Born In Bradford is focusing on the mental health of 13,000 children followed from birth.

Support For New Mothers2016052320160525 (R4)Winifred Robinson has returned to Bradford every year to report on mothers like Ruba, who is now 27. When they first met Ruba had a son, Hassam, and had just given birth to a little girl, Alishbah. Tragically both children were diagnosed with a rare condition, I-cell disease and have since died. Ruba is pregnant again and Winifred talks to her about genetic screening and the difficult choices she must make. She is married to her cousin and there is a one in four chance of her next baby being born with this fatal condition.

Researchers in Bradford have documented the incidence of genetic abnormalities linked to cousin marriage, which doubles the risk of passing on the recessive genes that lead to abnormalities. Cystic fibrosis is the one we all know about, where two healthy parents carry a recessive gene: in Bradford doctors have identified more than 200 rare conditions. Data collected by the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit has shown since 1997 there have been 902 British children born with neurodegenerative conditions, with 8% of these in Bradford, which only has 1% of the population.

Everything we do gets translated into practice so that our work on congenital anomalies has led to a city register for these children and also a Yorkshire register' explains Professor Wright, the Director of the Bradford Institute for Health Research. On the face of it the risk is not great - a 4% risk of having a child with an abnormality if you marry a cousin, compared with 2% among the general population. But with repeated cousin marriage, the risks stack up in families with sometimes devastating results.

The Born in Bradford researchers are determined that theirs should be an applied health research study with results leading to better services. They have just secured £49 million of lottery funding to intervene in the lives of a new cohort of mothers as part of the Better Start initiative: 'We want everything we find out in the research studies to be translated into practices that improve the health and well-being of people in Bradford and further afield' says Professor Wright.

The study was launched in 2007 and provides great insight health and lifestyle in the city. About 46 per cent of mothers in the study are from Pakistan, providing a fascinating insight into a new multi-ethnic generation. The impetus for research came from high infant mortality rates - double the national average - and so far the data has resulted in changes in national policy. Bradford now screens all pregnant women for gestational diabetes and Winifred meets those being encouraged to change their diet and habits to give their babies the best start in life.

Produced by Sue Mitchell.

Winifred Robinson reports on the lives of thousands of families being tracked in Bradford.

Winifred Robinson has returned to Bradford every year to report on mothers like Ruba, who is now 27. When they first met Ruba had a son, Hassam, and had just given birth to a little girl, Alishbah. Tragically both children were diagnosed with a rare condition, I-cell disease and have since died. Ruba is pregnant again and Winifred talks to her about genetic screening and the difficult choices she must make. She is married to her cousin and there is a one in four chance of her next baby being born with this fatal condition.

Researchers in Bradford have documented the incidence of genetic abnormalities linked to cousin marriage, which doubles the risk of passing on the recessive genes that lead to abnormalities. Cystic fibrosis is the one we all know about, where two healthy parents carry a recessive gene: in Bradford doctors have identified more than 200 rare conditions. Data collected by the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit has shown since 1997 there have been 902 British children born with neurodegenerative conditions, with 8% of these in Bradford, which only has 1% of the population.

Everything we do gets translated into practice so that our work on congenital anomalies has led to a city register for these children and also a Yorkshire register' explains Professor Wright, the Director of the Bradford Institute for Health Research. On the face of it the risk is not great - a 4% risk of having a child with an abnormality if you marry a cousin, compared with 2% among the general population. But with repeated cousin marriage, the risks stack up in families with sometimes devastating results.

The Born in Bradford researchers are determined that theirs should be an applied health research study with results leading to better services. They have just secured £49 million of lottery funding to intervene in the lives of a new cohort of mothers as part of the Better Start initiative: 'We want everything we find out in the research studies to be translated into practices that improve the health and well-being of people in Bradford and further afield' says Professor Wright.

The study was launched in 2007 and provides great insight health and lifestyle in the city. About 46 per cent of mothers in the study are from Pakistan, providing a fascinating insight into a new multi-ethnic generation. The impetus for research came from high infant mortality rates - double the national average - and so far the data has resulted in changes in national policy. Bradford now screens all pregnant women for gestational diabetes and Winifred meets those being encouraged to change their diet and habits to give their babies the best start in life.

Produced by Sue Mitchell.

Winifred Robinson reports on the lives of thousands of families being tracked in Bradford.

The Age Of Wonder2023012220230126 (R4)Winifred Robinson has been alongside Born in Bradford, one of the largest research studies in the world, since it started recruiting pregnant mothers in 2007. Now the thousands of children who have been tracked since birth are teenagers and the study is being widened to include every youngster in secondary school years eight through to ten. The aim is to focus in on mental wellbeing and to offer a whole range of interventions to improve lives in the city.

The Age of Wonder is backed by the Wellcome Trust and over the next seven years the data collected will provide unique insights into how teenagers grow and adapt. Alongside questionnaires, they are being weighed, measured and will be offered blood tests, blood pressure monitoring and skin fold readings. The researchers have been going into school assemblies across the city explaining to pupils what will be happening and how it will benefit them

Winifred hears from medical experts about some of the early data to emerge from the study, particularly around the questionnaires and the light they throw on things like childhood anxiety, loneliness and poor body image. The Age of Wonder is being supported by some of the worlds most respected experts in adolescent mental health and the aim is to provide interventions that can be tried on a small scale in different settings. These interventions might well result in improvements which can then be extended across different areas.

According to Professor John Wright, who heads the study, this is an excellent opportunity to shift the gaze to mental health because it's such a critical time in terms of brain development: `it's a time when a child's minds changes to an adult mind. And we have this plasticity in our brains, but we are also immersed in this rush of hormones that's happening in puberty. And we know that adolescent mental health is such a priority for the health service. So over the last twenty years adolescent mental health has been deteriorating year on year not just in Bradford or the UK, but internationally.

`We are seeing this rise in anxiety, eating disorders, depression and serious mental illness. And there's a spectrum, from feeling sad, helpless or hopeless, having a lack of energy or a lack of interest in things at one end of the spectrum and at the other it is self-harm and risk-taking behaviours such as taking drugs. This spectrum of mental ill health is happening, and we need to understand a bit more about why its increasing and why it's spiked over the pandemic. The Age of Wonder will really focus on this, and the young people will be involved throughout in planning and participating in ways to tackle it.`

Photographs by Carolyn Mendelsohn

Winifred Robinson reports on a unique investigation into child mental health in Bradford.