This is a 21-year study of 7,000 children born in Auckland and Waikato 10 years ago. Yesterday, the Social Development Minister, Carmel Sepuloni, announced a grant of nearly $2m dollars to continue this study.
This is a longitudinal study which means the researchers follow the same children for many years. This study follows them until they are 21. It is conducted by the University of Auckland.
The parents were interviewed in the last 3 months of the mother’s pregnancy, when the child was nine months old, two years, four and a half years and the latest one was eight years old. As well as face-to-face interviews, there have been telephone interviews in between these times. At the age of eight, each child was asked to fill in a two-day diary, giving answers about one day at school and the other day in the weekend. They could draw pictures also and some of these pictures are on the web page of this study.
New Zealand is well known for two very important longitudinal studies nearly 40 years ago, one in Dunedin and the other in Christchurch. They are still continuing. This Auckland study will give information about children born in the 21st century. This information concerns the children’s health and well-being, family life, education, psychological development, neighbourhood and environment, culture and identity.
Some interesting statistics from their study show a very ethnically diverse group of children. 24% identify as Maori, 21% Pacifica, and 16% Asian. Nearly half identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although the children were born in Auckland or Waikato, they will be interviewed, no matter where they live, until they are 21.
Vocabulary
• well-being – how happy people feel with their lives
• no matter where, no matter how, no matter why, no matter when, no matter what – this is a useful idiom e.g. I must go to school no matter what the weather (is), no matter how I feel etc.