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Neighbourhood Effects Influencing Early Childhood Development: Conceptual Model and Trial Measurement Methodologies from the Kids in Communities Study

Social Indicators Research volume 120, pages 197–212 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

Socio-environmental factors, including the neighbourhoods in which children live and grow, are key determinants of children’s developmental outcomes. Thus, it is important to examine and consider the relationships between these factors and the multiple contexts that influence children. Drawing on a broad disciplinary range of existing research, we aimed to develop a conceptual model of neighbourhood effects influencing early childhood development. The neighbourhood effects literature was reviewed with a specific focus on existing models and frameworks. This review was then further expanded through consultation with our cross-disciplinary research collaboration (Kids in Communities Study Collaboration). From this a theoretical model specific to early childhood development was developed. The hypothesised model comprised five interconnected domains: physical, social, service, socio-economic, and governance. A small trial of indicator measurement was conducted and findings were used to make a series of recommendations regarding measures or indicators which might provide useful and effective for neighbourhood effects research. The proposed model provides a useful and novel conceptual framework for classifying neighbourhood effects research. By synthesising disparate but related areas of research, the resultant five domains provide a useful approach to understanding and measuring child development in the context of community and environment, therefore advancing knowledge in this area. Expanding the current neighbourhood effects paradigm to accommodate broader constructs appears critical in considering the multiple environments that may act as key determinants of children’s wellbeing and psychosocial outcomes.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to previous KICS members Paul Kershaw and John Wiseman for their contribution, and to Corinne opt H’oong for her initial input. This work has been funded by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (Australian Research Council/National Health and Medical Research Council Collaborative network), the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, and the Australian Government. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children’s Hospital, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC, 3052, Australia

    Sharon Goldfeld & Elodie O’Connor

  2. Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Sharon Goldfeld & Talya Mathews

  3. Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Sharon Goldfeld

  4. Wesley Mission, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Geoffrey Woolcock

  5. School of Human Services and Social Work, Griffith University, Logan, QLD, Australia

    Geoffrey Woolcock

  6. Social Policy Research Centre, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Ilan Katz

  7. National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Robert Tanton

  8. Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, University of Western Australia, West Perth, WA, Australia

    Sally Brinkman

  9. School of Population Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Sally Brinkman

  10. McCaughey VicHealth Centre, School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Billie Giles-Corti

Authors
  1. Sharon Goldfeld
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  2. Geoffrey Woolcock
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  3. Ilan Katz
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  4. Robert Tanton
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Correspondence to Sharon Goldfeld.

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Goldfeld, S., Woolcock, G., Katz, I. et al. Neighbourhood Effects Influencing Early Childhood Development: Conceptual Model and Trial Measurement Methodologies from the Kids in Communities Study. Soc Indic Res 120, 197–212 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0578-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0578-x

Keywords

  • Australian Early Development Index (AEDI)
  • Community indicators
  • Early childhood development
  • Environment
  • Neighbourhood