Charley, the first baby of 3,000 to be studied as part of the ground-breaking Southampton Women’s Survey, was born at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton on Wednesday 30 December. His mother, Lisa Portsmouth, participated in the survey before she became pregnant, and then was interviewed and received extra ultrsound scans during pregnancy.

Lisa and Charley are contributing to a large body of data assessing the health, diets and lifestyles of women. These factors, assessed before and during pregnancy, will be related to the health of their children. In total, 20,000 Southampton women aged 20-34 will be interviewed, and some 3,000 of them are expected to become pregnant within three years of the interview.

Southampton has been chosen as the best setting for this unique study, and already women in the age range have shown great support. Those who have become pregnant have notified the study team very early, so that their pregnancies can be monitored as part of the survey.

The Southampton Women’s Survey team is excited by its first birth. Survey Co-ordinator, Dr Hazel Inskip, said: “Charley is a very special Christmas present for us. He provides us with the first data we need to help us improve the health of future generations. We are very grateful to Lisa and to all the other women who are helping us in the survey.”

The survey will address some of the questions raised by the report of the inequalities in Health Commission on improving the health of young women and children today – the main concern of the Commission. These issues are now high on the list of the government’s plans for improving public health.