Teenagers not the only vulnerable mothers to target, study warns

The study 'Prenatal prediction of poor maternal and offspring outcomes: implications for selection into intensive parent support programs' found existing preventative programmes tend to target teenage mothers and ignore other vulnerable first time parents.

The study, published in the US Maternal and Child Health Journal, looked at the outcomes of more than 8,000 women over five years after the birth of their child.

Researchers from Bristol University and Adelaide University used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), also known as Children of the 90s.

They found that as well as the mother's age, factors such as her level of education, financial situation, smoking habits and antenatal depression can trigger developmental problems in her children.

Professor Debbie Lawlor of the University of Bristol said, 'We found that models including characteristics such as if mums had a low level of education, or were depressed or smoked during pregnancy, were better at predicting poor outcomes than models that used young maternal age as the sole predictor.'

The study concluded, 'Factors including education, smoking and depression during pregnancy should be considered in identifying women and their offspring likely to benefit from parenting support interventions.'

Professor John Lynch of the University of Adelaide in Australia said, 'This work will inform how we can more efficiently provide targeted preventive programs that support parents and families in the future.'

The Family Nurse Partnership, which was launched in Britain in 2007, only helps women under the age of 20 who are pregnant with their first child. It has helped around 6,000 young families and costs £3,000 per family per year.

NHS Stockport stopped running the FNP programme earlier this year, saying it was not cost-effective.