We know children brought up in deprived environments generally don’t do as well in life as those who enjoy a more comfortable upbringing.
But I confess I was deeply shocked by research showing premature babie s from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to have problems with brain development than early babies from better off homes.
These findings come from scanning the brains of 170 prem babies around the mother’s expected due date and then checking the data against socioeconomic status (SES) – factors such as their parents’ education and neighbourhood deprivation levels.
