The DASH (Determinants of Adolescent Social well-being and Health) Study
This page gives a brief description of the DASH study, and a list of publications and published abstracts. Further information can be found on the DASH study website.
DASH is a study of a multiethnic adolescent cohort in London which investigates social and biological influences on ethnic differences in health and well-being in adolescence. It will provide important insights into the long term impact of these exposures in adolescence and the patterning of ethnic differences in health in later life.
DASH contains over 6,500 pupils recruited from 51 schools across 10 inner London boroughs. Pupils were aged 11-13 years old at the start of the study in 2003, and were followed up at ages 14-16 years in 2005/06. DASH was designed to have a sizeable number of respondents from the major ethnic minority groups. Cultural differences within South Asian groups are well known but very little is known about these issues among those of African origin. In DASH, Black Caribbeans, Nigerians, Ghanaians and other Africans can be identified separately so that differences in health and well being can be explored.
The study contains data on:
- socio-economic circumstances
- perception of neighbourhood
- quality of family life
- physical activity and other health behaviours
- psychological well-being.
It also contains physical measures such as anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance, blood pressure and lung function.
Our initial analyses focused on the data collected in the original wave of the study. Now that the second wave has been completed we are able to use the longitudinal data in our current work. Our focus is on examining the influence of social, in particular family influences, and biological factors on ethnic differences in cardiovascular and respiratory health and psychological well-being. The longitudinal data will allow us to examine what promotes good/poor health during adolescence; an important transitional stage in the lifecourse.
Maynard MJ, Harding S. Perceived quality of parenting and psychological well-being scores in adolescents from minority ethnic groups. European Journal of Public Health 2007; 17 (Suppl.2): p96
Maynard M, Harding S. Does family process explain favourable psychological well-being scores in adolescents from minority ethnic groups in the MRC DASH Study? JECH 2007; 61 (Suppl.1): A43
Harding S, Maynard M. Parental influences on adolescent overweight in a large multi-ethnic sample. MRC DASH (Determinants of adolescent Social well-being and Health) study. European Journal of Public Health 2006; 16 (Suppl.1): p68
Teyhan A, Harding S. Acculturation and mental health in Black African origin adolescents in the MRC DASH (Determinants of Adolescent Social well-being and Health) study. European Journal of Public Health 2006; 16 (Suppl.1): p122
Maynard M, Harding S, Minnis H. Psychological well-being and family type among Black Caribbean and Black African Adolescents in the DASH study. JECH 2005; 59 (Suppl.1): A25-A26
Maynard M, Harding S, Minnis H. Psychological well-being in Black Caribbean, Mixed Black Caribbean & White, Black African and White UK adolescents in the UK MRC DASH study. West Indian Medical Journal 2005; 54 (Suppl. 2): p34-35 (O-29)
Harding S, Maynard M, Cruickshank JK, Gray L. Blood Pressure and its determinants in Black Caribbean, Black African, South Asian and Caucasian adolescents in the MRC DASH study in Britain. West Indian Medical Journal 2005; 54 (Suppl. 2): p24 (O-10)
Harding S, Maynard M, Cruickshank JK. The role of overweight and socio-economic disadvantage on high blood pressure in African origin and White adolescents in the MRC DASH study. European Journal of Public Health 2005; 15 (Suppl.1): p32
Astell-Burt T, Maynard MJ, Lenguerrand E, Harding S. Racism, ethnic density and psychological well-being through adolescence: evidence from the Determinants of Adolescent Social well-being and Health longitudinal study. Ethnicity & Health [special issue: ethnic inequalities in mental health status and care] 2012;17:71-87pubmed open access
Bhui K, Harding S. Editors' foreword to special issue: ethnic inequalities in mental health status and care - unravelling the determinants and consequences. Ethnicity & Health 2012;17:1-2open access
Bhui K, Lenguerrand E, Maynard MJ, Stansfeld S, Harding S. Does cultural integration explain a mental health advantage for adolescents?. International Journal of Epidemiology 2012;41:791-802pubmed open access
Teyhan A. The impact of neighbourhood and school environments on ethnic differences in body size in adolescence [PhD], MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow 2012.open access
Akinwale B, Lynch K, Wiggins R, Harding S, Bartley M, Blane D. Work, permanent sickness and mortality risk: a prospective cohort study of England and Wales, 1971-2006. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health 2011;65:786-92pubmed
Harding S, Maynard MJ, Adamson A, Anderson AA, Mutrie N, Petticrew M, Baker G, Rawlins E. Final report: obesity in ethnic minority children and adolescents - developing acceptable parent and child-based interventions in schools and places of worship – the MRC DiEt and Active Living (DEAL) study. London, 2011open access
Harding S, Whitrow M, Lenguerrand E, Maynard MJ, Teyhan A, Cruickshank K, Der G. Emergence of ethnic differences in blood pressure in adolescence: the Determinants of Adolescent Social Well-being and Health study. Hypertension 2010;55:1063-9pubmed open access
Maynard MJ, Harding S. Ethnic differences in psychological well-being in adolescence in the context of time spent in family activities. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2010;45:115-23pubmed open access
Maynard MJ, Harding S. Perceived parenting and psychological well-being in UK ethnic minority adolescents. Child: Care, Health and Development 2010;36:630-8pubmed open access
Whitrow M, Harding S. Asthma in Black African, Black Caribbean and South Asian adolescents in the MRC DASH study: a cross sectional analysis. BMC Pediatrics 2010;10:18pubmed open access
Whitrow MJ, Harding S, Maynard M. The influence of parental smoking and family type on saliva cotinine in UK ethnic minority children: a cross sectional study. BMC Public Health 2010;10:262pubmed open access
Maynard MJ, Baker G, Rawlins E, Harding S. Developing obesity prevention interventions among minority ethnic children in schools and places of worship: the DEAL (DiEt and Active Living) study. BMC Public Health 2009;9:480pubmed open access
Harding S, Maynard MJ, Cruickshank K, Teyhan A. Overweight, obesity and high blood pressure in an ethnically diverse sample of adolescents in Britain: the Medical Research Council DASH study. International Journal of Obesity 2008;32:82-90pubmed open access
Harding S, Teyhan A, Maynard M, Cruickshank J K. Ethnic differences in overweight and obesity in early adolescence in the MRC DASH study: the role of adolescent and parental lifestyle. International Journal of Epidemiology 2008;37:162-172pubmed open access
Whitrow M J, Harding S. Ethnic difference in adolescent lung function: anthropometric, socioeconomic, psychosocial factors. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2008;177:1262-7pubmed open access
Harding S, Whitrow M, Maynard MJ, Teyhan A. Cohort profile: the DASH (Determinants of Adolescent Social well-being and Health) Study, an ethnically diverse cohort. International Journal of Epidemiology 2007;36:512-517pubmed open access
Maynard MJ, Harding S, Minnis H. Psychological well-being in Black Caribbean, Black African, and White adolescents in the UK Medical Research Council DASH study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2007;42:759-769pubmed
Harding S, Maynard M, Cruickshank K, Gray L. Anthropometry and blood pressure differences in Black Caribbean, African, South Asian and White adolescents: the MRC DASH study. Journal of Hypertension 2006;24:1507-1514pubmed