Uploaded March 2011 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
During the second world war, concerns about poverty, ill health and the falling birth rate promoted a national #maternity survey. Led by doctor James Douglas, the aim of the #research was to identify the cost and quality of maternity care, and how it could be improved after the war had ended.
Nearly 40,000 mothers were interviewed who had all given birth in the same week of March 1946. The findings showed such a large variation in quality of care, as well as the #health and survival of the babies, that funding was found to continue the research. This ongoing survey became known as the National Survey of Health and Development.
The survey has been funded by the MRC since 1962 and has inspired comparable studies in the UK and across the world. The research fund has recognised the value of such studies for revealing the social and biological processes that impact on health and wellbeing, and how these can be translated to make interventions that improve policy and practice.
To date, almost 5,500 of the children have continued to be followed up ever since.
Learn more ▶️ukri.org/about-us/mrc
Let’s connect!
Twitter 🔗 twitter.com/The_MRC
LinkedIn 🔗 linkedin.com/company/medical-research-council
YouTube 🔗 youtube.com/c/medicalresearchcouncil
Instagram 🔗 instagram.com/weareukri
We think you’ll like…
Birthday Message from Baroness Joan Bakewell | National Survey of Health and Development
▶️ youtube.com/watch?v=YVT8O_EuyBY
MRC e-Val | Post Launch Interview with Chief Executive Sir Leszek Borysiewicz
▶️ youtube.com/watch?v=fARPw5Dta-g
ABOUT THE MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (MRC)
The Medical Research Council (MRC) improves the health of people in the UK – and around the world – by supporting excellent science, and training the very best scientists.
Find out more ▶️ ukri.org/councils/MRC
#MRC #Medicine #MedicalSciences #MedicalResearch #Innovation #Health
During the second world war, concerns about poverty, ill health and the falling birth rate promoted a national #maternity survey. Led by doctor James Douglas, the aim of the #research was to identify the cost and quality of maternity care, and how it could be improved after the war had ended.
Nearly 40,000 mothers were interviewed who had all given birth in the same week of March 1946. The findings showed such a large variation in quality of care, as well as the #health and survival of the babies, that funding was found to continue the research. This ongoing survey became known as the National Survey of Health and Development.
The survey has been funded by the MRC since 1962 and has inspired comparable studies in the UK and across the world. The research fund has recognised the value of such studies for revealing the social and biological processes that impact on health and wellbeing, and how these can be translated to make interventions that improve policy and practice.
To date, almost 5,500 of the children have continued to be followed up ever since.
Learn more ▶️ukri.org/about-us/mrc
Let’s connect!
Twitter 🔗 twitter.com/The_MRC
LinkedIn 🔗 linkedin.com/company/medical-research-council
YouTube 🔗 youtube.com/c/medicalresearchcouncil
Instagram 🔗 instagram.com/weareukri
We think you’ll like…
Birthday Message from Baroness Joan Bakewell | National Survey of Health and Development
▶️ youtube.com/watch?v=YVT8O_EuyBY
MRC e-Val | Post Launch Interview with Chief Executive Sir Leszek Borysiewicz
▶️ youtube.com/watch?v=fARPw5Dta-g
ABOUT THE MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (MRC)
The Medical Research Council (MRC) improves the health of people in the UK – and around the world – by supporting excellent science, and training the very best scientists.
Find out more ▶️ ukri.org/councils/MRC
#MRC #Medicine #MedicalSciences #MedicalResearch #Innovation #Health
