Childhood residential mobility and health in late adolescence and adulthood: findings from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study

• Published in: Journal of epidemiology and community health (1979) Vol. 66; no. 10; pp. 942 - 950
• Main Authors: Brown, D, Benzeval, M, Gayle, V, Macintyre, S, O'Reilly, D, Leyland, A H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01.10.2012; BMJ Publishing Group; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Adolescence; Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult; Adulthood; Age; Automation; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Child development; child health; Childhood; Community health; deprivation; Families & family life; Family Characteristics; Female; Follow-Up Studies; General aspects; health; Health Behavior; health behaviour; Health Status; Homes; Housing; Humans; Illicit drugs; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical personnel; Medical sciences; migration; Miscellaneous; Mobility; Parents; Physical health; Population Dynamics; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Regression Analysis; Residence Characteristics; Residential mobility; Risk Factors; Scotland; Sociodemographics; Socioeconomic Factors; Stress, Psychological; Studies; Young Adult; United Kingdom; Scotland; Great Britain; Europe; United Kingdom > UK; British Isles, Scotland; Human; Medicine; West; Adolescent; Mobility; Adult; Evolution; Child; Age; Public health
• ISSN: 0143-005X; 1470-2738
• DOI: 10.1136/jech-2011-200316

BackgroundThe relationship between childhood residential mobility and health in the UK is not well established; however, research elsewhere suggests that frequent childhood moves may be associated with poorer health outcomes and behaviours. The aim of this paper was to compare people in the West of Scotland who were residentially stable in childhood with those who had moved in terms of a range of health measures.MethodsA total of 850 respondents, followed-up for a period of 20 years, were included in this analysis. Childhood residential mobility was derived from the number of addresses lived at between birth and age 18. Multilevel regression was used to investigate the relationship between childhood residential mobility and health in late adolescence (age 18) and adulthood (age 36), accounting for socio-demographic characteristics and frequency of school moves. The authors examined physical health measures, overall health, psychological distress and health behaviours.ResultsTwenty per cent of respondents remained stable during childhood, 59% moved one to two times and 21% moved at least three times. For most health measures (except physical health), there was an increased risk of poor health that remained elevated for frequent movers after adjustment for socio-demographic characteristics and school moves (but was only significant for illegal drug use).ConclusionsRisk of poor health was elevated in adolescence and adulthood with increased residential mobility in childhood, after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and school moves. This was true for overall health, psychological distress and health behaviours, but physical health measures were not associated with childhood mobility.