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Background

Children's health is correlated with their parents' socio-economic status, and this association persists into adulthood. Over the life course, disadvantage in childhood may establish vulnerabilities that lead to compromised socio-economic attainment and health in adolescence and adulthood.

Despite a clear understanding of the significance of early life, there is as yet little understanding of how parental SES affects children's health.

Much research has been directed to the impact of low birthweight as part of the connection between children's lifelong health and parent social disadvantage. More recently, interest has turned to the impact of parent behaviour and resources on children's development and health.

New lines of evidence - if brought together - promise to reveal the relationship between parental SES and the health and wellbeing of their children.

Recent research into the wide-ranging influences of early-life environments and experiences on lifelong health outcomes suggests several biological and psychological pathways that may account for the inter-generational transmission of SES-related health inequalities.

In particular, parental resources (attributes and material assets) and parenting behaviour are known to be important influences on early child development and health. And so, therefore, are the social and familial factors that, in turn, shape parent resources, behaviour and interaction with children.