How we measure child disadvantage matters
07/08/2025
As governments and service systems seek to reduce inequities, this study offers timely guidance on how to measure what matters. The study published in the Australian Journal of Social Issues found that different ways of measuring disadvantage in early childhood can lead to different insights about children’s development. It’s a timely reminder that no single approach fits all outcomes.
The research, led by Wei Hong and colleagues from the Centre for Community Child Health, compared three approaches to measuring disadvantage in longitudinal data from over 5,000 Australian children.
One of the approaches included a traditional measure of family-level socioeconomic position. The results showed that looking at family income, education and occupation when children start school was the strongest predictor of academic achievement at age 8-9.
When it comes to social-emotional wellbeing, however, a framework based on social determinant domains better explained social-emotional challenges that children face at ages 8-9. This framework looked more broadly at sociodemographic characteristics, geographic environments, health conditions, and risk factors when starting school.
‘These results highlight the importance of choosing the right measurement approach depending on the outcome of interest,’ said co-author Professor Sharon Goldfeld.
‘If we rely only on narrow measures like income or education, we risk missing key drivers of children’s health, development and wellbeing.’
The study highlights the opportunity for policy and research to move beyond one-size-fits-all models and embrace approaches that reflect the diverse experiences of children. By using comprehensive frameworks, decision makers can more effectively recognise children’s unique strengths and circumstances, and direct support where it can have the greatest impact.
The research also demonstrates the value of large-scale, longitudinal data in understanding the complex pathways that shape children’s development.
