Consent to data linkage in a child cohort study, Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

In this paper, we provide new evidence on the factors associated with consent to data linkage in young people from a sample of 16-17-yearolds (born in 2004) participating in Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. To our knowledge, this survey is the first time consent to data linkage has been studied in young people under 18-years of age. We extend the existing literature by examining economic record linkage, which is of particular concern in longitudinal surveys given the complexity of income support, benefits and pensions in many developed countries. The findings show that young people's consent to data linkage is above 80%. The findings also shed light on significant demographic and psychosocial correlates of consent to data linkage, the influence of prior commitment to the survey by the household, the influence of previous consent to other forms of data linkage and the influence of family members' decisions on consent from the young person

“You are our eyes and ears”: A new tool for observing parent-child interactions in large samples

Differences in parent-child interactions have implications for a range of developmental outcomes, yet it has traditionally been difficult for large cohort studies that traverse multiple domains to include such detailed behavioural observations. We describe a new method for observing parent-child interactions specifically designed to be a component of a more comprehensive collection of data about child health and development. Participants were mothers and their two-year-old children who were part of the Growing Up in New Zealand study. During a series of brief, structured parent-child conversation tasks, observers were trained to rate mothers’ warmth, use of open-ended questions, talk about emotions and ‘linking’ talk, children’s emotional expression and mothers’ overall use of discipline. Reliability was established before and reviewed mid-way through the one-year data collection wave. We observed differences in parent-child interaction construct ratings as a function of socio-demographic variables, ethnicity and child gender that were in agreement with published research. Inter-scale correlations and correlations between observer ratings and maternal self-report measures provide preliminary evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. Specifically, higher maternal self-reported affiliation and more frequent book reading were significantly correlated with observer ratings of maternal warmth, maternal language style and children’s emotional expression, and negatively correlated with observer ratings of maternal discipline. Higher maternal self-reported parenting hostility was negatively correlated with observed maternal warmth and language and positively correlated with observed maternal discipline. This observational method is a potentially useful technique for obtaining independent measures of parent-child interactions during the preschool years within large cohort studies

Maternal health in pregnancy and associations with adverse birth outcomes: Evidence from Growing Up in New Zealand

Objective To examine prospectively multiple indicators of pregnancy health and associations with adverse birth outcomes within a large, diverse sample of contemporary women. Design A cohort of pregnant women who gave birth during 2009–10. Population We enrolled a sample of 6822 pregnant New Zealand (NZ) women: 11% of all births in NZ during the recruitment period. Methods We analysed a number of maternal health indicators and behaviours during pregnancy in relation to birth outcomes using multivariable logistic regression. Associations were described using adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Main outcome measures Three birth outcomes, low birth weight (LBW), pre-term birth (PTB) and delivery type, were measured via linkage with maternity hospital perinatal databases. Small for gestational age (SGA) was then defined as below the 10th percentile by week of gestation. Results Modelling of birth outcomes after adjusting for confounders indicated patterns of increased risk of LBW and PTB for women who smoke, have elevated pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), or with insufficient pregnancy weight gain. SGA was associated with maternal smoking, alcohol use, insufficient weight gain and nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Risk of caesarean section was associated with having a diagnosed illness before pregnancy, elevated BMI, greater pregnancy weight gain and less pregnancy exercise. Number of risk factor variables were then used to model birth outcomes. Women with multiple risk factors were at increased risk compared with those who had no risk factors. Conclusions Women with multiple health risks are at particular risk of adverse birth outcomes

Growing Up in New Zealand: A longitudinal study of New Zealand children and their families. Now We Are Four: Describing the preschool years

Now we are Four gives us a comprehensive look at how kiwi kids from the Growing Up in New Zealand study are faring. In particular, we can see how the situation of mothers changes when children pass from infancy to early childhood. The biggest shift for most children is that they now attend early childhood education, and most are reported to be generally happy and healthy and spending time getting to know their peers. This means that we also see greater employment of mothers, leading to improved economic circumstances for these households. Nearly half of this generation of mothers live in private rental accommodation and experience multiple changes of address. The effect of this on access to services needs further exploration. Pacific households appear to bear the most significant effects of overcrowding, as seen in the reporting by Pacific mothers that half of their four-year-olds sleep in a room with adults. We also see: •Families moving homes frequently, with half of the children experiencing one or more residential moves since the age of two. One question this raises relates to what impact this has on continuous health care and early childhood education services, and ensuring places are available in local schools? •The increasing number of children living with a single parent as the cohort gets older. This has implications for agencies developing services and systems to support sole parents and their children. •A greater proportion of Māori children living in single-parent households compared to other ethnic groups. Previous research by Superu identified that these families tend to face greater financial stress which impacts their ability to function well. There is a clear need to address this. •One in five mothers experience depressive symptoms during or since pregnancy. This suggests a need to understand how our mental health services can better serve the mothers who aren’t currently getting the support they need. •By the age of four, 97 percent of children spend time away from their parent, such as in early childhood education or organised home-based care. This has implications for managing the demand and supply of preschool education

Growing up in New Zealand: A longitudinal study of New Zealand children and their families. Report 2: Now we are born

Growing Up in New Zealand is a longitudinal study that provides an up-to-date, population-relevant picture of what it is like to be a child growing up in New Zealand in the 21st century. It recruited and collected information from both mothers and their partners from before their children were born, and it has undertaken several further data collection waves during the children’s first two years of life. It is unique in terms of its capacity to provide a comprehensive picture of contemporary child development across multiple domains of influence for children born in New Zealand, and for including significant numbers of Māori, Pacific and Asian children as well as New Zealand European and other New Zealanders.From its inception the Growing Up in New Zealand study has been explicitly designed to follow children from before birth until they are young adults, to understand ’what works’ for children and families (rather than primarily focusing on negative outcomes) and to consider pathways of development across multiple domains of influence. This will allow a much better understanding of the complex interplay of all the factors that lead to child outcomes including growth, health, behaviours and cognitive development. The model of child development shaping this study is child centred, but never forgets that children develop in dynamic interactions with their families, communities, environments and societal contexts over time. This conceptual approach to the study acknowledges the growth in our understanding of early child development in the last few decades, with an increasing recognition of the importance of the antenatal period and the first few years of life for shaping future developmental pathways for children.This first longitudinal report describes the children’s development from before their birth and through the critical first nine months of their lives. The report highlights the breadth of information that is available from the children and their families in these early months, but it is not the end of what is possible. There is much to be done yet to describe more fully the associations that exist between the diverse environments that these children are growing up in and their development to date, as well as into the future. These analyses will be undertaken over the next several months as the more detailed level data is fully prepared and more complex modelling is undertaken by the study team. In this report there are examples of what is possible, but these are only indicative of the evidence that is yet to emerge from this rich resource. This evidence will contribute important information about the development of our new generation of New Zealand children that will help to inform strategies to ensure that every child born in 21st century in New Zealand is enabled to thrive, belong and achieve (New Zealand Government, 2011