Skip to main content

Identifying Off-Diagonal Communities Using the Australian Early Development Census Results

Social Indicators Research volume 132, pages 977–992 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

An individual’s, and indeed the nation’s, social and economic futures are highly dependent on early childhood development (ECD) outcomes, with poor ECD inhibiting future opportunities. Ecological ECD literature describes family, community and institutions as being key factors in children’s wellbeing, with suggestions that community factors may ameliorate impacts of poor ECD. It is therefore important to develop a greater understanding of those modifiable factors that positively, and negatively, affect ECD outcomes so as ECD policy and practice can be designed and implemented effectively. One approach to this analysis is through the identification and analysis of influencing factors identified within off-diagonal communities—that is those communities where children have either developed well in consideration of their high-levels of socio-economic disadvantage, or developed poorly in consideration of their low levels of socio-economic disadvantage. In this paper we describe a new method for the identification of off-diagonal communities. The method provides a clear and transparent approach to community selection, including a range of methods to further interrogate the community selection ensuring a rigorous and considered selection process. This new method, based on population Census and Australian Early Development Census data, provides the first step in identifying community factors likely to facilitate childhood wellbeing. These findings could inform policy making to reduce inequities by assisting in policy and service delivery design targeted to community needs.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Notes

  1. Note that the triennial Australian Early Development Census used to be called the Australian Early Development Index. For consistency and ease of reading, we have referred to the censuses of child development as the AEDC throughout the paper.

References

  • Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1 - Main Structure and Greater Capital City Statistical Areas, Australia (Vol. 1). Cat # 1270.0.55.001, ABS: Canberra.

  • Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). Socio-economic indexes for areas (SEIFA) 2011: Technical paper. Cat No. 2033.0.55.001, ABS: Canberra.

  • Centre for Community Child Health, & Telethon Institute for Child Health Research. (2009). A snapshot of early childhood development in Australia: AEDI National report 2009. Canberra: Australian Government.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centre for Community Child Health, & Telethon Institute for Child Health Research. (2012). A snapshot of early childhood development in Australia: AEDI National report 2012. Canberra: Australian Government.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellen, I., & Turner, M. (1997). Does neighbourhood matter? Assessing recent evidence. Housing Policy Debate, 8, 833–866. doi:10.1080/10511482.1997.9521280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fair Work Commission. (2014). Draft national minimum wage order 2014. Melbourne: Fair Work Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldfeld, S., Mathews, T., Brinkman, S., Woolcock, G., Myers, J., Kershaw, P., Katz, I., Tanton, R., & Wiseman, J. (2010). The Kids in Communities Study: Measuring community level factors influencing children’s development. Report for VicHealth. Melbourne: Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

  • Goldfeld, S., Woolcock, G., Katz, I., Tanton, R., Brinkman, S., O’Connor, E., et al. (2014). Neighbourhood effects influencing early childhood development: Conceptual model and trial measurement methodologies from the Kids in Communities Study. Social Indicators Research. doi:10.1007/s11205-014-0578-x.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hertzman, C. (2010). Framework for the social determinants of early child development. In R. E. Tremblay, R. G. Barr, R. D. Peters, M. Boivin (Eds.), Encyclopedia on early childhood development. Montreal: Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development. http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/

  • Hertzman, C. (2012). Bringing a population health perspective to early biodevelopment: An emerging approach. In D. P. Keating (Ed.), Nature and nurture in early child development (pp. 217–244). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511975394.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janus, M., & Offord, D. (2007). Development and psychometric properties of the early development instrument (EDI): A measure of children’s school readiness. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 39, 1–22. doi:10.1037/cjbs2007001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohen, D. E., Leventhal, T., Dahinten, V. S., & McIntosh, C. N. (2008). Neighborhood disadvantage: Pathways of effects for young children. Child Development, 79, 156–169. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01117.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leventhal, T., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2000). The neighborhoods they live in: The effects of neighbourhood residence on child and adolescent outcomes. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 309–337. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.126.2.309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leventhal, T., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2003). Children and youth in neighbourhood contexts. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12, 27–31. doi:10.1111/1467-8721.01216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shonkoff, J. P., & Boyce, W. T. (2009). Neuroscience, molecular biology, and the childhood roots of health disparities: Building a new framework for health promotion and disease prevention. Journal of the American Medical Association, 301, 2252–2259. doi:10.1001/jama.2009.754.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swisher, R. (2008). Neighborhoods and youth: How neighborhood demographics and social processes affect youth outcomes. The Prevention Researcher, 15, 7–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanton, R., Harding, A., Daly, A., McNamara, J., & Yap, M. (2010). Australian children at risk of social exclusion: A spatial index for gauging relative disadvantage. Population, Space and Place, 16(2), 135–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

This research was supported under the Australian Research Council's Linkage Projects funding scheme (Project Number LP130100411).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NATSEM, Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Robert Tanton

  2. Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Melanie Dare

  3. Fraser Mustard Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Subiaco, WA, 6008, Australia

    Sally Brinkman

  4. School of Population Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Sally Brinkman

  5. McCaughey VicHealth Community Wellbeing Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Billie-Giles Corti

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

    Ilan Katz

  7. Wesley Mission Brisbane, Chermside, QLD, 4032, Australia

    Geoff Woolcock

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

    Sharon Goldfeld

  9. Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Sharon Goldfeld

Authors
  1. Robert Tanton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Melanie Dare
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sally Brinkman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Billie-Giles Corti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ilan Katz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Geoff Woolcock
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Sharon Goldfeld
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert Tanton.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tanton, R., Dare, M., Brinkman, S. et al. Identifying Off-Diagonal Communities Using the Australian Early Development Census Results. Soc Indic Res 132, 977–992 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1333-2

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1333-2

Keywords

  • Indicators
  • Built environment
  • Child development
  • Socio-economic standards