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Article History

Received: 5 February 2025

Accepted: 20 June 2025

First Online: 9 July 2025

Declarations

:

: Ethics approval for the MCS was obtained from the National Research Ethics Service Committee London— Central (reference 13/LO/1786). Ethical approval for the age 17 main stage was obtained on 18th October 2017 from the National Research Ethics Service (NRES) Research Ethics Committee (REC) North East – York (REC ref: 17/NE/0341). All data are anonymized and available to researchers via the UK Data Service. Cohort members ≥16 years provided verbal consent to take part in the study. The cohort members (16 or older at the time of the interview and considered adults) provided verbal informed consent to take part in the survey overall, and for each individual survey element. Parents did not have to provide consent for the interviewer to approach the cohort members. Interviewers were required to ensure that consent from the cohort member was as fully informed as possible. To do this, cohort members needed to understand the full details of processes, the reasons they were being asked to take part in each element, and the details around storage and use of data. Complete details on all ethics including informed consent can be found in the Millennium Cohort Study Seventh Sweep (MCS7) Technical Report which can be accessed here: https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/MCS7_Technical_Report.pdf.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.