Low Support For Baby Research

Leading medical research charity Action Research is surprised at the results of a MORI poll it commissioned looking at people's hopes for medical advances over the next 50 years.

People were asked to choose, from a list of four areas of medical research, in which one they would most like to see the greatest medical advances. The options were conditions affecting pregnancy and birth, childhood diseases, conditions affecting primarily adults or conditions of ageing.

Despite 1 in 3 (36%) people identifying that medical research has had more impact on people's lives than any other development over the last 50 years, only 7% wanted to see the greatest medical advances over the next 50 years made into conditions relating to pregnancy and birth. This would include such complications as premature birth.

Premature birth alone costs the NHS an estimated 163200million a year and research has proven that those born very prematurely suffer from language and learning difficulties along with behavioural problems later in life. Recent figures suggest that around 7% of all babies in the UK are born prematurely.

The other results show a significant desire for the greatest medical advances of the next 50 years to be in the areas of childhood diseases and conditions of ageing. These polled 37% and 30% respectively.

Only 20% wanted to see the greatest medical advances achieved into conditions primarily affecting adults.

The results come at a time when Action Research is celebrating its 50th Anniversary and half a century of funding groundbreaking medical research into conditions affecting all age groups. The charity's funding has made possible Britain's first polio vaccine, pioneering hip replacement surgery and the first medical use of ultrasound scanning.

John Grounds, Director of Campaigns and Communications at Action Research, commented: "It comes as a real surprise that only 7% of the public wanted to see the greatest advances made into conditions relating to pregnancy and birth. Research has proved that it is imperative to give children the best possible start in life to help avoid mental and health problems in later years. Advances resulting in methods preventing premature birth should play a major part in medical research in the 21st century."

He added: "As a charity whose work benefits all age groups, we are not suggesting that areas outside of pregnancy and birth conditions are not worthy of support. However, we believed that the figure would be a lot higher and the results of our poll should certainly generate debate in organisations that have a dedicated baby or birth focus."

Professor Neil McIntosh is an Action Researcher based at the University of Edinburgh and who is currently investigating health problems associated with premature birth.

Professor McIntosh echoed the charity's surprise at the findings, which he thought were at odds with previous surveys. He adds: "Medical research is absolutely crucial, particularly as we understand more and more about how the health of the foetus and newborn baby can clearly influence many diseases in adult life, for example diabetes and heart disease."

He concluded: "Research in this young age is therefore vital for the human race, from beginning to end."

Regional Highlights

• More people in the West Midlands (11%) wanted to see greater medical advances into conditions relating to pregnancy and birth than any other area of Great Britain.
• A greater number of people in Wales (48%) and in the North East/ Yorkshire/Humber (45%) wanted to see the greater medical advances in the area of childhood diseases compared to the national figure of 37%.
• London had the lowest number of people (23%) that wanted to see the greatest medical advances made into conditions of ageing compared to the national figure of 30%.
• 40% of people in the Eastern Region (predominately East Anglia) wanted to see the greatest medical advances made into conditions of ageing compared to the national average of 30%.

Technical details

A baby is considered premature if it is born 37 weeks after conception

The national medical research charity, Action Research, is dedicated to preventing and treating disease and disability by funding vital medical research.

Founded in 1952 by Duncan Guthrie, Action Research is one of the UK's leading medical research charities. We support research into a wide range of conditions, benefiting all age groups. We are currently funding over 160 projects throughout the UK; a total commitment in excess of 16314 million.

As a charity which has been at the forefront of medical research for nearly 50 years, our support has been crucial in the development of life-saving polio and rubella vaccines, the artificial hip operation, the use of ultrasound scans in pregnancy and the use of folic acid to prevent spina bifida.

Current grants include support for research into meningitis, back pain, osteoporosis, pregnancy complications, incontinence and epilepsy.

MORI interviewed a representative quota sample of 2,031 (male and female) adults aged 15 plus between 18-22 October 2001. All interviews were face-to-face and were conducted across 188 sampling points throughout Great Britain. All data are weighted to the known national population profile.

• 2,031 interviews conducted face-to-face and in-home between 18 - 22 October 2001, among adults aged 15+, using 188 sampling points throughout Great Britain
• All data are weighted to the known national population profile
• An asterisk (*) denotes a figure of less than 0.5% but greater than zero
• Where percentages do not sum to 100%, this is because of computer rounding or multiple responses
• The base for each question is all respondents interviewed (2,031)

Q1 Which one, if any, of the following advances do you feel has made the greatest impact on people's lives in the last 50 years?

Q2 The medical charity 'Action Research' is 50 years old in 2002. There have been many medical advances over that period. In the next 50 years, in which of the following areas would you hope to see the greatest medical advances?

	%
Conditions relating to pregnancy and birth (e.g. premature birth or cot death)	7
Childhood diseases (e.g. meningitis or cerebral palsy)	37
Conditions affecting primarily adults (e.g. stroke or Multiple Sclerosis)	20
Conditions of ageing (e.g. Alzheimer's Disease or arthritis)	30
None of these	1
Don't know	4