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DEPT OF FAMILIES, HOUSING, COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS (FaHCSIA) / AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF FAMILY STUDIES (AIFS)

NAME OF COLLECTION

Growing up in Australia - The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC)


OVERVIEW

Growing up in Australia - The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) was initiated and funded by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). The study is being undertaken in partnership with the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) with advice being provided by a consortium of leading researchers at research institutions and universities throughout Australia. The data collection is undertaken for AIFS by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The study, initially funded for 9 years, aims to provide a comprehensive national picture of Australian children and their families.

LSAC will identify the key factors influencing child outcomes over the developmental life course in the early years, including their interaction. A range of age appropriate developmental outcomes are being measured, including physical/mental health, social and developmental, academic and risk behaviours.

Data are being collected over seven years from two cohorts every two years. The first cohort of 5,000 children aged less than 12 months in 2003-04 is being followed until they reach 6 to 7 years of age, and the second cohort comprising 5,000 children aged 4 years in 2003-04 is being followed until they reach 10 or 11 years of age. Study informants include the child (when of an appropriate age) and their parents, carers and teachers. LSAC collects information via face-to-face interviews, self-completion questionnaires, some computer assisted telephone interviewing, diaries, physical measuring, and assessment based activities.

LSAC will add to the understanding of early childhood development, inform social policy debate, and be used to identify opportunities for early intervention and prevention strategies, in policy areas concerning children, specifically parenting, family relationships and functioning, early childhood education and schooling, child care and health.


SCOPE

The focus of the study is on the early years of children's lives therefore 'the child' is the sampling unit of interest. The study has adopted a cross-sequential design that follows two cohorts whose ages will overlap as the study progresses. The sample is broadly representative of all Australian children (citizens and permanent residents) in each of two selected age cohorts: children born between March 2003 and February 2004 (B cohort) and children born between March 1999 and February 2000 (K cohort). Children in some remote parts of Australia were excluded.


DATA DETAIL

Data items relevant to migrants and ethnicity:

• Country of birth
• Year of arrival
• English as a second language

• Age and gender of all household members
• Family type
• Number of siblings
• Work status of parents
• Educational status of parents
• Parents' income
• Housing and neighbourhood

• Child care
• Child care provider, including non-parental child-care
• Child's development
• Child's diet and nutrition
• Child's health
• Conception, pregnancy and birth
• Child's education
• Family functioning and parenting
• Social capital

• Standard Australian Classification of Countries, (cat. no. 1269.0)
• Australian Standard Classification of Languages (cat. no. 1267.0)
• Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (cat. no. 1220.0)

• State/territory
• Capital City Statistical Subdivision
• Balance of state