Life at 3 - About the Study

The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC)

LSAC or the "Growing Up in Australia" study was initiated by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs as part of the "Stronger Families and Communities Strategy". The Australian Institute of Family Studies is responsible for the design and management of the study. During 2004, 10,000 children and their families were recruited to the study from a sample selected from the Health Insurance Commissioner's Medicare database.

Six behavioural and biological science design teams are researching the areas of health, education, childcare, family functioning, child functioning and socio-demographics in the lives of the 10,000 children and their families. They include sociologists, educationalists, paediatricians, psychologists, statisticians, epidemiologists and experts in early childhood, temperament and mental health of populations. There is also a Scientific and Policy Advisory Group of international experts on child development.

The first phase of the study commenced in March 2004 with the analysis of the data from this first wave released in May 2005.

Wave 2 data was released in September 2007.

Study families were again contacted with a short mail out questionnaire (Wave 2.5) during August 2007, containing questions on children's medai and technology use, parents' return to work and child support. This data was released in May 2008.

Wave 3 data collection commenced in April 2008 and is expected to be completed in November 2008 with data released in August 2009. At this wave, the two cohorts are 4-5 and 8-9 years old and are now answering interview questions themselves. This is an addition to the continuation of interviewing of their parents, caregivers and teachers.

Professor Alan Hayes, the Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, takes us behind the scenes of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Find out how the 10,000 children were selected, how the information is collected and how it is used. This is the most ambitious study of Australian children ever undertaken. Watch how it all works.

Quiz: Where do I fit in?

How the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) works.

10,000 children and their families have been recruited to the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, the largest and most ambitious study ever carried out on Australian children. This study is following two representative groups of children: 5,000 0-1 years and 5,000 4-5 years. They represent 2% of all the children born in Australia in their year of birth. The information collected from the 10,000 families is completely anonymous.

The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs have collected together the best brains in this country as advisors for the study and as researchers to analyse the findings. They are looking at the whole world of the child: health and physical development, learning, language, cognition, temperament, personality, childcare, family, neighbourhoods, work and family relationships.

The goal is to give the evidence base to government who decide policy and the evidence base to those who provide supports and services to families, children and communities, so that as a nation we provide our children with what they need to give them the best chance at life.

The primary information is gathered during a two-hour visit to the home by one of the LSAC field researchers. This interview will occur every two years. The primary carer is asked questions by the field researcher about their child, neighbourhood, health, support networks, finances, work and their relationship. Each parent also fills in a questionnaire that covers more detailed questions about their unique situation.

And the child is weighed and measured at two year intervals. One of the most innovative aspects of the LSAC is the Child Time Use Diary that parents fill in on two average days of their child's life. For the first time in any longitudinal study of this nature the LSAC researchers will find out how an Australian child spends their time, where and who with. This will provide valuable data on how a contemporary Australian child spends their day.

Previous Australian studies have shown snapshots of a child's life but to really find out what it takes for a child to be happy, well adjusted and resilient it's important to look at a child's life over time. In watching these lives unfold the Longitudinal Study of Australian children will answer vital questions. Why does a child do well at one stage of their life and not at another? Why are some children doing well at all stages and what supports and buffers that? Why are other children doing poorly and what can we do to change the circumstances of life for those children?

One of the great successes of the Study is the high retention rate of the original 10,000 children and their families. 90% of families are now involved in the collection of the Wave 2 data and this is much higher than most comparable longitudinal studies overseas.

According to Professor Alan Hayes, the Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies "…it represents the collective commitment in this country to put our children as a priority and that's terrific."

For more information about "Growing Up in Australia - The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children" visit http://www.aifs.gov.au/growingup/home.html