Abstract

There is much evidence that the children born in the last decade of the 20th century are healthier and living longer than children born earlier this century, and that children born too small or too soon are now more likely to reach adulthood than similar children born 10 or 20 years ago. Yet measures of social disadvantage (poverty, underachievement in education, lone parenthood) are increasing, putting this generation of children at higher risk of morbidity later in life.