| Study Title |
L12 Growing Up in Ireland: Child Cohort – Wave 1 Child Main Questionnaire |
| Creator |
Consortium of researchers led by the Economic and Social Research Institute (www.esri.ie) and Trinity College, Dublin (www.tcd.ie) |
| Data Owner |
Consortium of researchers led by the Economic and Social Research Institute (www.esri.ie) and Trinity College, Dublin (www.tcd.ie) |
| Funder |
Funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (www.dcya.ie), in association with the Department of Social Protection (www.welfare.ie) and the Central Statistics Office (www.cso.ie) |
| Publisher |
Department of Children and Youth Affairs (www.dcya.ie) |
| Description |
Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) is a national longitudinal study of children being conducted with the aim of improving understanding of all aspects of childrens lives and their development in the current social, economic and cultural environment. The principal objective of the GUI study is to describe the lives of children in order to establish what is typical and normal, as well as what is atypical and problematic. This information will be used to assist in policy formation and in the provision of services that will ensure all children will have the best possible start in life. The study focuses on a broad range of outcomes. Being longitudinal, it examines developmental trajectories over time, tracking the development of two cohorts: approx. 11,000 infants (9 months old) tracking them into early childhood and approx. 8,500 children (9 years old) tracking them into early adolescence.
The Child Main Questionnaire for the Child Cohort included questions on school, food, activities, likes and dislikes. Open-ended questions allowed for a wide range of descriptive data to be collected; for example, children were asked to describe what they would like to be when they grow up, to describe what makes them most happy, what they are most afraid of and why they like living in Ireland. |
| Key Variables |
ID Other; Disability |
| Themes |
Health; Education; Social/Emotional/Behavioural; Demographics |
| Unit Of Observation |
Study child |
| Start Date |
August 2007 (Wave 1, children at 9 years) |
| End Date |
September 2011 (Wave 2, same children at 13 years) |
| Target Population |
8,568 children, born between 1st November 1997 and 31st October 1998, were recruited to the Child Cohort for Wave 1 data collection. The following relates to the Child Main Questionnaire:
Target population: Study child.
Number of completed questionnaires: 8,518 questionnaires completed in respect of 8,568 Study children. |
| Method |
The Child Main Questionnaire was completed in respondent’s home on a CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) basis in the presence of a parent/guardian. |
| Most Recent Data Collection |
September 2011 (Wave 2, same children at 13 years) |
| Most Recent Publication |
2012. See:
- Nixon, E. (2012) Growing Up in Ireland: How Families Matter for Social and Emotional Outcomes of 9-Year-Old Children. Report 4, Department of Children and Youth Affairs. Dublin: Government Publications. Available at: www.growingup.ie/fileadmin/
user_upload/documents/Second_Child_Cohort_Reports/Growing_Up_in_Ireland__How_Families_Matter_for_Social_and_Emotional_Outcomes_of_9-Year-Old_Children.pdf |
| Internationally Comparable Studies |
A British national longitudinal birth cohort study, conducted by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies and called The Millennium Cohort Study, has traced some 19,000 children born in the UK in 2000-01 throughout early childhood, with plans to continue tracing into adulthood. Publications available at:
- www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/Publications.aspx?sitesectionid=70&sitesectiontitle=Publications
Similar longitudinal studies have been carried out in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. |
| Access Further Information |
www.growingup.ie |
| Notes |
The Child Main Questionnaire was completed in respondents home on a CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) basis in the presence of a parent/guardian. |