Characteristic Values are %, unless indicated | Sample characteristics at CheckPoint (2015–2016)* n=1874 families | Baseline characteristics (2004)† | |
In CheckPoint n=1874 families | Not in CheckPoint n=3233 families | ||
Child age in years, mean (SD) | 12.4 (0.4) | 0.8 (0.2) | 0.8 (0.2) |
Parent age in years, mean (SD) | 44.4 (5.2) | 32.1 (4.9) | 30.4 (5.7) |
Female child | 49.0 | 49.0 | 48.9 |
Female parent | 87.7 | 98.7 | 98.5 |
Child accompanied by biological parent | 98.9 | 99.7 | 99.7 |
Child has indigenous background | 2.0 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
Parent born in Australia | 79.0 | 79.3 | 81.2 |
Parent home language not English | 10.8 | 11.2 | 16.3 |
Area of residence¶ | |||
Major city | 70.3 | 70.5 | 64.0 |
Inner regional | 20.3 | 18.0 | 20.6 |
Outer regional | 8.7 | 9.9 | 12.8 |
Remote | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.6 |
Australian state/territory of residence | |||
Australian Capital Territory | 2.8 | 2.9 | 1.6 |
Northern Territory | 1.6 | 2.4 | 1.3 |
New South Wales | 28.6 | 29.9 | 32.6 |
Queensland | 21.5 | 20.0 | 20.1 |
South Australia | 8.0 | 7.5 | 6.4 |
Tasmania | 3.3 | 3.2 | 1.6 |
Victoria | 22.5 | 22.2 | 25.8 |
Western Australia | 11.8 | 11.8 | 9.7 |
Socioeconomic position,** mean (SD) | 0.2 (1.0) | 0.3 (1.0) | −0.2 (1.0) |
Neighbourhood disadvantage index††, mean (SD) and % in national quintiles | 1023 (60) | 1019 (61) | 1003 (59) |
1 (least disadvantaged quintile) | 34.8 | 29.0 | 18.9 |
2 | 23.4 | 20.3 | 19.8 |
3 | 18.8 | 19.3 | 21.6 |
4 | 14.8 | 19.8 | 21.7 |
5 (most disadvantaged quintile) | 8.2 | 11.6 | 18.1 |
Parent’s highest level of education | |||
Did not complete high school | 20.1 | 21.4 | 39.0 |
High school | 44.4 | 42.3 | 39.9 |
Undergraduate degree (Bachelor) | 23.6 | 26.6 | 15.5 |
Postgraduate degree | 11.9 | 9.7 | 5.7 |
Attending parent’s employment status | |||
Working full time (≥30 hours/week) | 46.9 | 31.8 | 22.4 |
Working part-time | 37.4 | 2.7 | 1.6 |
Not currently working | 15.7 | 65.5 | 76.0 |
Parent has a spouse/partner | 88.1 | 95.7 | 91.3 |
*Data collected in CheckPoint 2015–2016 wave, except child Indigenous background collected at wave 1 (2004), and parent birth country, home language, educational qualifications and employment status; and family socioeconomic position collected at wave 6 (2014). Parent data=CheckPoint ’attending parent'.
†Data collected in wave 1 (2004). Parent data=’Parent 1'. CheckPoint attending parent is the wave 1 Parent 1 for 89.3% of families.
¶Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Remoteness Area Code.86
**Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC)-derived family socioeconomic position z-score.87 Higher scores=greater advantage.
††ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage.88