A Canadian Neighbourhood Index for Socioeconomic Status Associated with Early Child Development

Forer, Barry; Minh, Anita; Enns, Jennifer; Webb, Simon; Duku, Eric; Brownell, Marni; Muhajarine, Nazeem; Janus, Magdalena; Guhn, Martin

doi:10.1007/s12187-019-09666-y

Cited by 19 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The nation-wide implementation of the EDI provides a large representative sample, improving generalizability of study findings. Using a composite SES index, that has shown relevant associations with development of young children, was also a strength as it captures the favourable and unfavourable SES characteristics of neighbourhoods through a reasonable number of variables ( Forer et al, 2019 ; Webb et al, 2017 ). The human, social, economic components of this index, all of which are important elements of SES, are not collectively included in other neighbourhood SES indices derived using Canadian Census data ( Webb et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To determine neighbourhood SES, socioeconomic and demographic information was derived from the 2006 and 2011 Canadian Census and the matching 2005 and 2010 Income Taxfiler databases (since Census data report on the previous year) at the smallest geographic areas available, which were Dissemination Blocks (DBs), then aggregated at the neighbourhood level based on a custom neighbourhood boundary definition ( Forer et al, 2019 ; Guhn et al, 2016 ). After the EDI variables had been merged with the 2006 and 2011 Census and 2005 and 2010 Income Taxfiler demographic and SES variables at the neighbourhood level, a small subset of 10 variables was identified to create a neighbourhood SES index.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After the EDI variables had been merged with the 2006 and 2011 Census and 2005 and 2010 Income Taxfiler demographic and SES variables at the neighbourhood level, a small subset of 10 variables was identified to create a neighbourhood SES index. This index represents an optimal compromise between maximizing the variance explained in the developmental health outcomes measured using the EDI, as well as restriction in the number of variables to a reasonable number for interpretation and intervention ( Table 1 ) ( Forer et al, 2019 ; Webb et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Association between neighbourhood socioeconomic status and developmental vulnerability of kindergarten children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A population level study

Siddiqua

Duku

Georgiades

et al. 2020

SSM - Population Health

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There is limited knowledge about the relationship between neighbourhood socioeconomic status (SES) and development of kindergarten children with ASD. The primary objective of this study was to determine the association between neighbourhood SES and developmental vulnerability of kindergarten children with ASD while controlling for family SES across 10 provinces and territories in Canada. This study used data from a population level database of child development in kindergarten, collected with the Early Development Instrument (EDI). The EDI covers five broad domains of developmental health: physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, and communication skills and general knowledge. Neighbourhood SES was assessed with an SES index created using 10 variables from the 2011 Canadian Census and 2010 Taxfiler data. Family SES was assessed using 4 variables from the 2016 Canadian Census. Descriptive statistics and regression-based models were used in this study. Multilevel binary logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between neighbourhood SES and child developmental vulnerability (yes/no), at the individual level, while controlling for family SES, demographic characteristics, and neighbourhood clustering. The association between neighbourhood SES and child developmental vulnerability at the individual level, while controlling for family SES and demographic characteristics was examined with binary single level logistic regression analyses. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to examine the association between neighbourhood SES and developmental vulnerability at the neighbourhood level (% of kindergarten children with ASD demonstrating developmental vulnerability in a neighbourhood). In Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador, higher neighbourhood SES was associated with lower likelihood of developmental vulnerability. In Nova Scotia, higher neighbourhood SES was associated with higher likelihood of vulnerability in the social competence and communication skills and general knowledge domains. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing neighbourhood deprivation to support the development of children with ASD. Additionally, the inconsistency highlights the importance of examining the mechanisms through which neighbourhood SES impacts development of these children on a provincial basis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Association between neighbourhood socioeconomic status and developmental vulnerability of kindergarten children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A population level study

Siddiqua

Duku

Georgiades

et al. 2020

SSM - Population Health

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“…An SES index identifying 10 developmentally-relevant socioeconomic variables was created for 2058 custom-defined neighbourhoods across the country. The index measures aspects related to household income, education, mobility, immigration, single parenthood, and first language [43]. The SES index was transformed into Z-scores, with a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1.…”

Section: Early Development Instrumentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between Severe Unaddressed Dental Needs and Developmental Health at School Entry in Canada: A Cross-Sectional Study

Janus¹,

Reid-Westoby

Lee

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background Dental problems are the most prevalent chronic disease worldwide, with up to half of all kindergarten children having tooth decay. However, there is a lack of evidence of whether unaddressed dental needs (UDNs) are associated with children’s developmental health, a concept reflecting holistic child development - encompassing physical, emotional, and cognitive development. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the relationship between UDNs and developmental health among kindergarten children using the Early Development Instrument (EDI). Methods We examined associations between teacher reported UDNs and developmental vulnerability on the EDI. Children were included in the study if they were enrolled in kindergarten in publicly-funded schools in Canada between 2010 and 2015, had been in the classroom for at least one month, and had no more than 25% of missing items on the questionnaire. Results Among 576,264 children who met inclusion criteria (95.4% of eligible children), 2,465 (0.4%) were identified as having UDNs by their teachers. Children with UDNs had 4.58 to 8.27 times higher odds of being vulnerable on any of the five developmental domains (physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, communication skills and general knowledge), compared to children without UDNs. Conclusion In this study, teacher-reported UDNs were associated with developmental vulnerability in kindergarten children. Teacher reported unmet dental needs in kindergarten children may be a proxy for poor developmental health at school entry, and thus a marker for supporting both children’s oral health and early developmental needs.

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“…In Canada, a large proportion of variation in children's developmental vulnerability (32%) has been associated with neighbourhood socioeconomic status (SES) [1]. There is a consistent gradient between neighbourhood income and developmental outcomes, with children living in low income neighbourhoods performing more poorly than their peers in physical, social, emotional, language, and communication domains [2,3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immigrant and ethnic neighbourhood concentration and reduced child developmental vulnerability

McRae

Muhajarine

Janus

et al. 2020

IJPDS

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IntroductionStudies have consistently demonstrated a gradient between median neighbourhood income and child developmental outcomes. By investigating statistical outliers—neighbourhoods with children exhibiting less or more developmental vulnerability than that predicted by median neighbourhood income—there is an opportunity to identify other neighbourhood characteristics that may be enhancing or impeding early childhood development. ObjectiveTesting a variety of neighbourhood factors, including immigrant or ethnic concentration and characteristics of structural disadvantage (proportion of social assistance recipients, homes in need of major repair, residents with high school education only, lone parent families, and residents moving in the last year) we sought to identify factors associated with more or less developmental vulnerability than that predicted by median neighbourhood income, for young children. MethodsFor this cross-sectional study we used validated Early Development Instrument (EDI) data (2003-2013) linked to demographic and socioeconomic Census and Tax Filer data for 98.3% of Canadian neighbourhoods (n=2,023). The purpose of the instrument is to report, at a population-level, children’s school readiness. Children’s developmental vulnerability was assessed in five domains (physical health and well-being, emotional maturity, social competence, language and cognitive development, and communication and general knowledge) in relation to the 10th percentile from a national normative sample. Levels of children’s neighbourhood vulnerability were determined per domain, as percent of children vulnerable at a given domain. Neighbourhoods were grouped into three cohorts, those having lower than predicted, as predicted, or higher than predicted children’s vulnerability according to neighbourhood median income. Using multivariable binary logistic regression we modelled the association between select neighbourhood characteristics and neighbourhoods with lower or higher than predicted vulnerability per domain, compared to neighbourhoods with predicted vulnerability. This allowed us to determine neighbourhood characteristics associated with better or worse child developmental outcomes, at a neighbourhood-level, than that predicted by income. ResultsIn neighbourhoods with less child developmental vulnerability than that predicted by income, high or low immigrant concentration and ethnic homogeneity was associated with less vulnerability in physical (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.66, 95% CI: 1.43, 1.94), social (aOR 1.30, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.51), and communication domains (aOR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.47) compared to neighbourhoods with vulnerability concordant with income. Neighbourhood ethnic homogeneity was consistently associated with less developmental vulnerability than predicted by income across all developmental domains. Neighbourhood-level structural disadvantage was strongly associated with child developmental vulnerability beyond that predicted by median neighbourhood income. ConclusionCanadian neighbourhoods demonstrating less child developmental vulnerability than that predicted by income have greater ethnic and ethnic-immigrant homogeneity than neighbourhoods with child developmental vulnerability concordant with income. Neighbourhood social cohesion and cultural identity may be contributing factors. Neighbourhood structural disadvantage is associated with poorer early childhood development, over and above that predicted by neighbourhood income. Neighbourhood-level policy and programming should address income and non-income related barriers to healthy child development.

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A Canadian Neighbourhood Index for Socioeconomic Status Associated with Early Child Development

Cited by 19 publications

References 35 publications

Association between neighbourhood socioeconomic status and developmental vulnerability of kindergarten children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A population level study

Association between neighbourhood socioeconomic status and developmental vulnerability of kindergarten children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A population level study

Association between Severe Unaddressed Dental Needs and Developmental Health at School Entry in Canada: A Cross-Sectional Study

Immigrant and ethnic neighbourhood concentration and reduced child developmental vulnerability

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