Inequalities in health begin in womb - report

Health inequalities begin in the womb with the economic and social background of mothers having a significant impact on the health of their children, a new study has found.

The findings are contained in one of the biggest medical research projects ever carried out in Ireland which involved monitoring the health of 40,000 people over seven years from the earliest stage of pregnancy right through to old age.

The project, conducted by the Health Research Board, was launched by President Mary McAleese at UCD's Conway Institute yesterday.

Its findings are being published in full in this month's Irish Medical Journal.

The study, which also examined more than 1,000 pregnant women in Galway and Dublin, found that mothers who were well-educated were less likely to have underweight babies - a factor that can cause health problems in later life.

It also found that the educational status of the maternal grandmother can have a significant effect on the health of their grandchild.

Pregnant women, whose parents went to third level, are seven times more likely to regard themselves as healthy than those whose parents just went to primary school.

It also established a direct link between levels of childhood asthma and diet during pregnancy, with women who have a higher fruit and vegetable intake less likely to have a child with asthma.

Children who were eligible for a medical card were more than twice as likely as those who did not have one to have asthma, and are more likely in general to see a doctor.

Prof Cecily Kelleher, head of the UCD school of public health, who led the research, said that there was now a need for a "womb to the tomb" (as recently called for by the British government) rather than just a "cradle to the grave" approach to public health.

Currently the British government is looking at proposals to give pregnant women a one-off payment of £200 (€285) during the last trimester to buy fruit and vegetables.

Former prime minister Tony Blair proposed intervening even before birth to help potential problem families.

Prof Kelleher said the Government here should look at extending the children's allowance to pregnant women while providing more comprehensive information to those who are thinking of getting pregnant.

"We've always known that it is important that a pregnant woman has a healthy diet for the baby's sake," she said.

"The thing that is new is that we now know that a healthy diet during pregnancy is a huge investment on into the future in the health of children.

"There is a need to stretch back through our education system so that from the earliest stage people know about a healthy diet if they are intending being pregnant."

Mrs McAleese said that the present generation understood the link between lifestyle and good health better than any previous generation.