Association between household crowding at birth and mental health outcomes in school-aged children: retrospective analysis of data from the Born in Bradford cohort, UK.
4 affiliations
- 1UCL Research Department of Primary Care and Population Health, University College London, London, UK.
- 2UCL Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London, London, UK.
- 3Population Health Improvement (PHI-UK), Bradford, UK.
- 4Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, UK.
Abstract
Introduction
Previous research suggests household crowding is associated with poorer child mental health, but findings are inconsistent. Longitudinal data is required, especially from deprived settings where crowding is most prevalent and in ethnically diverse UK settings where living in larger family units is more commonplace. It is uncertain whether features of nearby green space may modify associations between crowding and child mental health.Methods
We analysed data from 3543 children in the Born in Bradford study, a longitudinal cohort representing residents of the ethnically diverse and relatively deprived city of Bradford, UK. We used ordinal logistic regression to investigate the association between exposure to household crowding (self-reported people per bedroom) at birth and child mental health score (normal, borderline, raised) 7-14 years later according to parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), adjusting for gender, ethnicity and socio-economic position. We explored effect modification by ethnicity and green space measures.Results
Greater levels of household crowding at birth were not associated with being in a higher SDQ category 7-14 years later; in crude and adjusted analyses, the fully adjusted OR was 0.89, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.05. No effect modification by the main ethnic groups or parental satisfaction with surrounding green space at the time of outcome measurement was observed.Conclusion
The relationship between household crowding and child mental health is complex. In this study of an ethnically diverse population, where crowding was relatively prevalent, no relationship was found. Household composition, age, housing condition and family and community support likely play important roles.
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BibTeX
@article{klaptocz2026association,
title = {{Association between household crowding at birth and mental health outcomes in school-aged children: retrospective analysis of data from the Born in Bradford cohort, UK.}},
author = {Joanna Klaptocz and Helen Abigail Blake and Kimon Krenz and Cathy Knamiller and Rosemary Rc McEachan and Marcella Ucci and Jessica Sheringham},
journal = {BMJ public health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1136/bmjph-2026-005483},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42968915},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Association between household crowding at birth and mental health outcomes in school-aged children: retrospective analysis of data from the Born in Bradford cohort, UK.
AU - Joanna Klaptocz
AU - Helen Abigail Blake
AU - Kimon Krenz
AU - Cathy Knamiller
AU - Rosemary Rc McEachan
AU - Marcella Ucci
AU - Jessica Sheringham
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - BMJ public health
DO - 10.1136/bmjph-2026-005483
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42968915
AB - Introduction Previous research suggests household crowding is associated with poorer child mental health, but findings are inconsistent. Longitudinal data is required, especially from deprived settings where crowding is most prevalent and in ethnically diverse UK settings where living in larger family units is more commonplace. It is uncertain whether features of nearby green space may modify associations between crowding and child mental health.Methods We analysed data from 3543 children in the Born in Bradford study, a longitudinal cohort representing residents of the ethnically diverse and relatively deprived city of Bradford, UK. We used ordinal logistic regression to investigate the association between exposure to household crowding (self-reported people per bedroom) at birth and child mental health score (normal, borderline, raised) 7-14 years later according to parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), adjusting for gender, ethnicity and socio-economic position. We explored effect modification by ethnicity and green space measures.Results Greater levels of household crowding at birth were not associated with being in a higher SDQ category 7-14 years later; in crude and adjusted analyses, the fully adjusted OR was 0.89, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.05. No effect modification by the main ethnic groups or parental satisfaction with surrounding green space at the time of outcome measurement was observed.Conclusion The relationship between household crowding and child mental health is complex. In this study of an ethnically diverse population, where crowding was relatively prevalent, no relationship was found. Household composition, age, housing condition and family and community support likely play important roles.
SN - 2753-4294
ER -