Household energy poverty and children’s health. ESRI Research Bulletin 202031 December 2020.

This research investigates the link between household energy poverty and children’s health in Ireland. For an older Child Cohort in 2007/8, 5% of households were energy-poor, rising to 7% by 2016. In a younger Infant Cohort, households reporting energy poverty increased from 8.3% in 2008/9 to 12.7% in 2013. Energy poverty was associated with a greater likelihood of respiratory illness and wheezing in the Infant Cohort, and a lower likelihood of the child being rated as ‘very healthy’ by their primary caregiver

Migrant background and children’s use of healthcare services in Ireland. ESRI Research Bulletin 202107 March 2021.

For the first time in history, there is an emerging cohort of children of migrants living in Ireland. In order to understand and respond to their healthcare needs, and, to facilitate their families’ integration and assimilation, there is a need to understand how frequently the children of these migrants encounter the healthcare system. Using two cohorts of the Growing up in Ireland study, this research finds that children of immigrant families represent a growing, diverse demographic in Ireland. This investigation shows that some children of migrants are less likely to use healthcare services

Impacts of co‐payments for prescribed medicines on publicly‐insured children and older people in Ireland. ESRI Research Bulletin 202111 April 2021.

This bulletin examines the impact of the introduction, and subsequent increase in, prescription drug co-payments for medical cardholders in Ireland from October 2010, focusing on two population groups: children and older people

The benefits of visiting green space. ESRI Research Bulletin 202011 May 2020.

Research finds that visits to green spaces are associated with positive outcomes for general health, cardiovascular health, as well as mental health and well-being. The health impacts are greatest at low visit levels, meaning those who visit once a month can also experience the benefits

The effect of accessibility to GP services on healthcare utilisation among older people. ESRI Research Bulletin 2018/12

We investigated the impact of accessibility to General Practitioner (GP) services on the use of GP services among older people in Ireland. Older people use healthcare services more frequently and intensively than the population as a whole. However, having limited personal mobility or poorer access to transport may present significant obstacles for an older person trying to avail of healthcare services. Internationally, the World Health Organization raises awareness of the need for healthcare to be within physical reach of vulnerable or marginalised groups, with older people and residents of rural areas identified as ‘at risk’ populations

Use of Information Communication Technologies by older people and telemedicine adoption during COVID-19 : a longitudinal study

Open Access via the OUP Agreement TILDA was funded by the Health Research Board grant TILDA-2017-1. TILDA was supported by Irish Life plc, the Irish Government, and the Atlantic Philanthropies. These funders had no involvement in analyses or in the preparation of this paper.Peer reviewe

Home broadband and student engagement during COVID-19 emergency remote teaching

This research is supported by the Economic and Social Research Institute’s Electronic Communications Programme, jointly funded by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment and the Commission for Communications Regulation in Ireland.During the academic year 2019–2020, school buildings worldwide closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitating a rapid shift to distance education. This study assessed the influence of high-speed broadband availability on student engagement with distance learning during this period in Ireland. Employing data from a representative sample of 206 secondary schools, student engagement as perceived by school principals was estimated to have been more adversely affected among schools located in areas with lower coverage of high-speed broadband. This may be partly explained by a lower probability of poorer student engagement among schools that deployed live online video teaching. While the costs and benefits must be considered, these findings may support the case for government intervention to provide greater equity in access to high-speed broadband. Where distance learning is required in future, secondary teachers should be supported in the use of live online teaching to better foster student engagement.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Magnifying inequality? Home learning environments and social reproduction during school closures in Ireland

This research is supported by the Economic and Social Research Institute’s Electronic Communications Programme, jointly funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and the Commission for Communications Regulation in Ireland.COVID-19 school closures have seen the homeplace become a school-place for students and their families in Ireland. This paper presents research on the resources and supports available for students to engage with learning in their home environments. Evidence from a nationally representative survey comprising one third of second-level school leaders, conducted during the first school closures in 2020, shows that attendance and engagement appears to be influenced by the educational level of parents/guardians. The association between parental education and student engagement was stronger for Junior Certificate students but was not statistically evidenced for Leaving Certificate students. Qualitative evidence sheds further light on inequalities which characterised students’ experiences of online and remote learning. Viewing these developments through a social reproduction framework, this study argues that unequal home learning environments may magnify existing inequalities. To prevent a return to the classroom with more classed outcomes, it is imperative that policy, planning and investment strive to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on educational inequality.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Learning for all? Second-level education in Ireland during COVID-19. ESRI Survey and Statistical Report Series 92 June 2020.

Second-level schools in Ireland faced different challenges when responding to the COVID-19 school closures depending on their locations and socioeconomic environments, according to new ESRI research in partnership with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment (DCCAE) and the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg)