Cohort Profile: Footprints in Time, the Australian Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children

Abstract

Indigenous Australians experience profound levels of disadvantage in health, living standards, life expectancy, education and employment, particularly in comparison with non-Indigenous Australians. Very little information is available about the healthy development of Australian Indigenous children; the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC) is designed to fill this knowledge gap.This dataset provides an opportunity to follow the development of up to 1759 Indigenous children. LSIC conducts annual face-to-face interviews with children (aged 0.5–2 and 3.5–5 years at baseline in 2008) and their caregivers. This represents between 5% and 10% of the total population of Indigenous children in these age groups, including families of varied socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Study topics include: the physical, social and emotional well-being of children and their caregivers; language; culture; parenting; and early childhood education.LSIC is a shared resource, formed in partnership with communities; its data are readily accessible through the Australian Government Department of Social Services (see http://dss.gov.au/lsic for data and access arrangements). As one of very few longitudinal studies of Indigenous children, and the only national one, LSIC will enable an understanding of Indigenous children from a wide range of environments and cultures. Findings from LSIC form part of a growing infrastructure from which to understand Indigenous child health.

Understanding barriers to fruit and vegetable intake in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children: a mixed-methods approach

“…The LSIC is a national study managed by the Australian Government’s Department of Social Services ( 42 ) . Purposive sampling was used to recruit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from eleven diverse sites across Australia.…”

“…Purposive sampling was used to recruit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from eleven diverse sites across Australia. The survey design and the implications for analysis have been described elsewhere ( 42 , 43 ) . Indigenous Research Administration Officers (RAOs) conduct annual face-to-face interviews with children and their primary carer (the child’s mother in the majority of cases, or sometimes the father, a relative or other guardian).…”

Enhancing national data to align with policy objectives: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smoking prevalence at finer geographic levels

“…Ongoing cohort study. Specifically, this could include cohort studies that have tobacco questions, including the Talking about the Smokes, 30 the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children 31 and Mayi Kuwayu longitudinal study. 32 3.…”

Concentrations of environmental phenols and parabens in milk, urine and serum of lactating North Carolina women

“…These methods are integral for evaluating the effects of environmental exposures in longitudinal health studies, such as the National Children's Study [23, 24] or large developmental cohort studies conducted in other countries [25-27]. Those types of studies also have interests in major health afflictions of children, such as puberty timing, obesity, diabetes, allergy and asthma.…”