Starting School: a large-scale start of school assessment within the ‘Born in Bradford’ longitudinal cohort [version 1; peer review: 1 approved with reservations]

The Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort of 13,776 children born between 2007-2011 and their parents provides a rich data resource for researchers exploring protective and risk factors influencing long-term developmental and health outcomes. Educational attainment is a critical factor related to later health. Literacy and communication, fine motor skills and social and emotional health are key ‘early’ predictors of educational attainment and can be used to identify children in need of additional support. We describe our BiB ‘Starting School’ data collection protocol which assessed literacy and communication, fine motor skills and social and emotional health on 3,444 BiB children aged 4-5 years old. These measures supplement the existing dataset, and complement the routine educational, health and social care data available for the cohort

Beyond height and weight: a programme of school nurse assessed skinfold measurements from white British and South Asian origin children aged 4-5 years within the Born in Bradford cohort study

Published 26 November 2015To describe the feasibility, reliability and additional information gained from collecting additional body fatness measures (beyond height and weight) from UK reception year children.Prospective cohort study.Bradford, UK.2458 reception year children participating in the Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort study.The feasibility and reliability of subscapular and triceps skinfold measurements and differences in adiposity between ethnic groups.Of those children who were matched to their school, 91% had a subscapular skinfold measurement and 92% had a triceps skinfold measurement recorded. Reliability was generally over 90% for all measurers and both measurements. Pakistani children were slightly taller but weighed less and had lower triceps skinfold thickness (mean difference -1.8 mm, 95% CI -2.1 to -1.4 mm) but higher subscapular (mean difference 0.1 mm, 95% CI -0.1 to 0.4 mm) than white British children.We have shown that it is feasible for school nurses to collect skinfold measurements in a similar way to the height and weight measurements collected from reception year children for the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), and that these measurements are reliable. It is important for healthcare practice to acknowledge ethnic-specific risk and these additional measurements can provide important information to examine population-level risk in populations with large proportions of South Asian children.Jane West, Gillian Santorelli, Laura Lennon, Kathy O, Connell, John Corkett, John Wright, Shirley Brierley, Peter Whincup, Noel Cameron, Debbie A Lawlo