Background: It has been suggested that social, educational, cultural and physical factors in childhood and early
adulthood may influence the chances and direction of social mobility, the movement of an individual between
social classes over his/her life-course. This study examined the association of such factors with intra-generational
and inter-generational social mobility within the Newcastle Thousand Families 1947 birth cohort.
Methods: Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the potential association of sex, housing
conditions at age 5 years, childhood IQ, achieved education level, adult height and adverse events in early
childhood with upward and downward social mobility.
Results: Childhood IQ and achieved education level were significantly and independently associated with upward
mobility between the ages of 5 and 49-51 years. Only education was significantly associated (positively) with
upward social mobility between 5 and 25 years, and only childhood IQ (again positively) with upward social
mobility between 25 and 49-51 years. Childhood IQ was significantly negatively associated with downward social
mobility. Adult height, childhood housing conditions, adverse events in childhood and sex were not significant
determinants of upward or downward social mobility in this cohort.
Conclusions: As upward social mobility has been associated with better health as well as more general benefits to
society, supportive measures to improve childhood circumstances that could result in increased IQ and educational
attainment may have long-term population health and wellbeing benefits.