Born in Wales
Understanding the journey from pregnancy to early childhood
Born in Wales is a national birth cohort study comprising over 400,000 child electronic records and 5,000 survey responses to explore how health, well-being, education, and social factors shape early life in Wales.
By linking real-world data with parental experiences, Born in Wales aims to uncover insights that inform policies and services, improving outcomes for children and families.
Explore Born in Wales
Born in Wales follows families through four key stages, gathering vital insights at every step:
Born in Wales research is already providing valuable insights into child health, parental well-being, and early education. As we collect more data, new discoveries continue to shape our understanding.
Publications
Population birth outcomes in 2020 – How the COVID-19 pandemic affected expectant mothers.
COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy – Views, uptake rates, and health impacts.
Parental depression & child outcomes – How timing of parental mental health challenges influences children.
Breastfeeding during COVID-19 – Trends in initiation and duration during the pandemic.
Risk factors for low birth weight – Identifying key influences on early health.
Cohort profile: Born in Wales—a birth cohort with maternity, parental and child data linkage for life course research in Wales, UK. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/1/e076711
COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy: the impact of multimorbidity and smoking status on vaccine hesitancy, a cohort study of 25,111 women in Wales, UK. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37697235/
Factors associated with low school readiness, a linked health and education data study in Wales, UK. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38079428/
Mother and Infant Research Electronic Data Analysis (MIREDA): A protocol for creating a common data model for federated analysis of UK birth cohorts and the life course. https://ijpds.org/article/view/2406?articlesBySameAuthorPage=1
Our research is making a difference by shaping policies and services that support families in Wales. Insights from Born in Wales are used to:
Identify challenges families face in early life.
Inform policies to improve maternity, child health, and education services.
Support decision-making in government and healthcare.
Born in Wales at the Senedd – Our findings have been discussed at the Welsh Parliament, helping to guide policy decisions that affect families across Wales.
BBC interview on Born in Wales breastfeeding Research https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66718715
Born in Wales connects electronic health, education, and social data to provide a unique resource for researchers and policymakers. Each year, we link data on around 30,000 births in Wales, creating a powerful dataset for life course research.
What’s included?
Health Data – Maternity records, vaccinations, hearing checks, breastfeeding data, COVID-19 records.
National Databases – Child health data, Census 2021, neonatal care records.
Social Determinants – Social care data, substance abuse, domestic violence records.
Ultrasound Scans – Linking foetal scans for insights into cognitive development.
Parental Surveys – Capturing self-reported experiences on stress, mental health, and well-being.
Are you a researcher interested in accessing Born in Wales data? Get in touch to find out how to apply.
Contact Us s.brophy@swansea.ac.uk