Desi Joint Families Linked to Lower Childhood Injury Rates

A surprising new study is reframing how we talk about childhood safety in South Asian homes across the UK.

Research released in January 2026 reveals that children from Pakistani and Bangladeshi families experience fewer injuries than White British children, despite often living in more deprived conditions.

The findings come from the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at UCL, with results published in the journal Injury Epidemiology.

The research shows childhood injuries tend to be less common in several minority ethnic families, including Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black African communities.

Most childhood injuries are unintentional and remain a major public health issue.

They account for an estimated seven per cent of deaths among children under five, alongside long-term disability and reduced quality of life.

Common causes include road accidents, burns, sports injuries, falls, drowning, suffocation and poisonings.

Researchers believe it comes down to cultural practices, especially multi-generational living and having more adults at home supervising young children.

In simple terms, more eyes mean fewer scrapes.

The study analysed data from over 12,700 children born between 2000 and 2002, all part of the Millennium Cohort Study.

When the children were five, biological mothers reported whether their child needed professional medical attention for an accident or injury in the previous two years.

Information on ethnicity and the mother’s country of birth was collected when the children were 3 years old.

Researchers also examined income, housing conditions, and family values around parenting and behaviour.

They found that, apart from children from Indian backgrounds, most minority ethnic children were more likely to experience poverty and poor housing.

Black African and Black Caribbean families were most likely to live in social housing.

A higher proportion of minority ethnic mothers were born outside the UK and reported lower household incomes.

Yet despite these challenges, children from these backgrounds showed a lower likelihood of injury.

This protective effect was strongest when the mother was a first-generation immigrant.

For Pakistani and Bangladeshi children with UK-born mothers, injury rates matched those of White British children.

This suggests a mother’s migration status plays a crucial role in reducing injury risk.

The authors explained that cultural practices may offer powerful protection.

They noted it is more common in some communities to have grandparents or non-parent adults living in the same household.

With extra supervision, children may be less likely to get hurt.

The researchers also found that minority ethnic families were less likely to believe mothers should return to work before a child starts school.

Mothers born abroad reported lower alcohol use and stronger religious values.

All these factors could help reduce childhood injury risk.

The authors added: “Our findings suggest that minority ethnic children may be less likely to get injured because of their cultural practices.”

They continued: “Future public health guidance on injury prevention should move away from biases focused on ethnic disadvantage and highlight protective cultural factors.”

For British South Asians, this research validates something many families already know.

The traditional joint family system offers more than emotional support. It provides practical safety benefits for the next generation.