The Life Project

March 14, 2016
The first book from science journalist and Nature editor Pearson brings to life a particularly ambitious series of cohort studies, which draw conclusions from bulk data on large populations. Every 12 years since 1946, scientists have chosen one week and tracked the lives of all babies born in the U.K. during that week. Information about these babies has directly affected legislation on the creation of Britain’s National Health Service, education reform, and adult literacy programs. Many facts that we now consider common sense (having a baby is expensive; smoking increases the risk of lung cancer; poor children are at an educational disadvantage compared to wealthy children) were first confirmed by cohort data. Pearson gamely traces the scientists’ findings while painting mostly sympathetic portraits of both researchers and subjects. Her dogged enthusiasm for her chosen topic is so unflagging that it can occasionally be grating, but her sense of compassion and wonder shines through on every page. Agent: Sarah Chalfant, Wylie Agency.

April 15, 2016
Award-winning Nature journalist Pearson chronicles a series of groundbreaking longitudinal, cradle-to-grave birth-cohort studies begun by British scientists in the aftermath of World War II.At a time when there was still food rationing and a major housing shortage, there was particular concern about how mothers and infants were faring. During one week in March 1946, the first of these studies surveyed 13,687 mothers who filled out a questionnaire on their experience of pregnancy and the health of the newborns. Not surprisingly, class differences proved to be determining factors in premature birth: "babies in the lowest class were 70% more likely to be born dead that those in the most prosperous, and they were also far more likely to be born prematurely." These results were influential in the 1948 launch of the National Health Service, which provided better free maternity care and provisions for high-risk births. This study was followed by four other studies, in 1958, 1970, 1991, and 2000, with another one possibly in the offing. Over the 70 years since the first one, scientists have kept track of the cohorts, recording data on health, longevity, and social mobility. The correlation with class still persists, but scientists are now planning to analyze data from the 1958 cohort to determine "what factors in middle and old age...can reverse the effects of disadvantage in early life." Comparisons between the cohorts are also enlightening. For example, obesity loomed as a problem in the 2000 study, which showed that 23 percent of children were either overweight or obese by age 3. The same study also looked closely at the quality of parenting, including the birth experience and whether or not the infant was breast-fed. Thankfully, in the digital age, cohort studies are easier to process, making more fine-tuned analysis possible. A valuable mine of information of particular interest to social scientists, medical professionals, and concerned citizens who seek to influence social policy.

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April 15, 2016

Britain's National Survey of Health and Development is the longest-running interdisciplinary epidemiological cohort study, tracking individuals from birth through old age. In March 1946, visiting health workers interviewed mothers of newborn children about living conditions and indicators of infant and maternal health. Though intended as a one-off investigation, researchers later surveyed the same group of children at five-year intervals to survey the long-term impact of reforms in Britain's health and educational systems. Beginning with the development of the original study, science journalist Pearson (Nature) weaves a chronology of its progress and subsequent related groups around the stories of principal researchers and subjects. She describes how the initial cohort did not include questions on smoking, which in 1946 was not considered a health concern. Issues of social and cultural change also affected responses. For example, people in postwar Britain believed it a civic duty to participate in government research; in contrast, problems recruiting new mothers derailed a study planned for 2012. Findings of ongoing studies conclude that socioeconomic factors at birth can affect intelligence, health, and fitness in later life, and that children of caring, less controlling parents lead happier lives. VERDICT This history of research that has contributed to a greater knowledge of human development is recommended for academic and large public library collections.--Lucille M. Boone, San Jose P.L., CA

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