External Publications Using GUI Data

Authors	Year ↑	Title	Link	Journal/Book
Hughes, A., Gallagher, S., Hannigan, A.	2015	A Cluster Analysis of Reported Sleeping Patterns of 9-Month Old Infants and the Association with Maternal Health: Results from a Population Based Cohort Study.	Open	Maternal and Child Health Journal
The aim of this study was to identify, using cluster analysis, novel sleep phenotypes in a population based cohort of infants, and to explore the associations between infant sleep profiles and their mothers’ health and well-being. 11,134 mothers of 9-month old infants were interviewed as part of the Growing Up in Ireland National Longitudinal study and reported on their health and infant’s sleep patterns. 16 infant sleep variables were recorded together with measures of parental stress, depression, health and well-being. Multiple iterations of a two-step hierarchical cluster analysis were carried out to identify the optimum number of clusters and the subset of parental-reported sleep variables required to identify distinct sleep profiles. Four distinct sleep profiles were identified based on the following variables; (1) infant sleep duration at night, (2) parental sleep duration, (3) does baby wake during night (yes, no)? (4) Usual sleep location for most of the night and, (5) parental reporting of problem infant sleep patterns. This identified two less favorable profiles with both infants and mothers sleeping less and where mothers are more likely to report their infants’ sleep patterns as problematic. Mothers of infants belonging to these sleep profiles were more likely to have higher levels of stress, depressive symptoms, and poorer self-reported health than other sleep profiles. Breastfeeding was associated with both groups and rates were highest in a group of infants that were more likely to co-sleep with their parents and have diverse ethnic backgrounds. This study demonstrates, for the first time, two infant sleep profiles with distinct phenotypical frameworks that are significantly associated with maternal stress, depression, and poorer self-report of health.
Hyland, M., Layte, R., Lyons, S., McCoy, S., Silles, M.	2015	Are Classroom Internet Use and Academic Performance Higher after Government Broadband Subsidies to Primary Schools?	Open	The Economic and Social Review

Keane, E., Perry, C.P., Kearney, P.M., Harrington, J.M., Perry, I.J., Cullinan, J., Layte, R.	2015	Childhood obesity, dietary quality and the role of the local food environment: cross-sectional analysis from the growing up in Ireland study	Open	Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health
Background Globally, childhood obesity is a significant public health problem associated with adverse health and economic consequences. To tackle the problem, we need a comprehensive understanding on how the environment in which we live may influence obesity related behaviours and weight status. Thus, we explore if distance to and number of food outlets ([1] supermarkets and [2] convenience stores) in the local area impact on either dietary quality or body mass index (BMI) in 9-year-old children whilst controlling for socio-economic characteristics of the family. Methods Cross sectional analysis of the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) Study, a two-stage clustered sample of 8568 nine year old children from the Republic of Ireland. Children were recruited from schools (response rate 82%) and age eligible children (response rate 57%) were invited to participate. Height and weight measurements were used to calculate BMI. Diet was assessed using a short food frequency questionnaire and a dietary quality score was generated based on Irish healthy eating guidelines. Socio-economic status was measured using parent reported household class, household net equivalised income and highest level of maternal education. Food access was measured as network distance to (in quintiles) and number of (within 1000km) convenience stores and supermarkets to each participant’s household within the local area. Separate fixed effects regression models were used to assess the impact of local area food access on (1) dietary quality and (2) BMI, stratified by gender. Results After controlling for socio-economic characteristics of the household, distance to the nearest supermarket was not associated with dietary quality in boys (Q5 v Q1; B = 0.84, 95% CI, –0.49 to 2.18) or girls (Q5 v Q1; B = –0.41, 95% CI, –1.60 to 0.77). Distance to the nearest convenience store was associated with dietary quality in boys (Q5 v Q1; B = 1.01, 95% CI, 0.13 to 1.89) but not in girls (Q5 v Q1; B = 0.04, 95% CI, –0.71 to 0.80). The number of convenience stores or supermarkets within 1000m of the household did not impact on dietary quality. Access to food outlets was not associated with BMI in girls or boys. Conclusion There was little evidence to suggest that access to food stores impact dietary quality or BMI in children. From a population health perspective, strategies tackling environmental factors associated with making poor lifestyle choices are needed. Thus, further research on the association between food access and obesity risk is needed.
Khalaf, S.Y., O'Neill, S.M., O'Keeffe, L.M., Henriksen, T.B., Kenny, L., Cryan, J.F., Khashan, A.S.	2015	The impact of obstetric mode of delivery on childhood behaviour	Open	Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Purpose We investigated the hypothesis that mode of delivery affects childhood behavior and motor development and examined whether there are sex-specific associations, i.e., whether males and females have different risk estimates. Methods Families with infants born between December 2007 and May 2008 (N = 11,134) were randomly selected and recruited to the Growing Up in Ireland study. Mode of delivery was classified into spontaneous vaginal delivery; instrumental vaginal delivery; emergency Cesarean section (CS); and elective CS. The ‘Ages and Stages Questionnaire’ was completed at age 9-months and the ‘Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire’ at 3 years. Data were weighted to represent the national sample (N = 73,662) and multivariate logistic regression was used for the statistical analyses. Results At age 9 months, elective CS was associated with a delay in personal social skills [adjusted odds ratio, aOR 1.24; (95 % confidence interval, CI 1.04, 1.48)] and gross motor function [aOR 1.62, (95 % CI 1.34, 1.96)], whereas emergency CS was associated with delayed gross motor function [aOR 1.30, (95 % CI 1.06, 1.59)]. At age 3 years there was no significantly increased risk of an abnormal total SDQ score across all modes of delivery. Conclusions Children born by elective CS may face a delay in cognitive and motor development at age 9 months. No increase in total SDQ score was found across all modes of delivery. Further investigation is needed to replicate these findings in other populations and explore the potential biological mechanisms.
O'Keeffe, L.M., Kearney, P.M., Greene, R.A.	2015	Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System in Ireland: Methods and Response Rates	Open	Maternal and Child Health Journal
To describe response rates and characteristics associated with response to the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System study in Ireland (PRAMS Ireland). Using hospital discharge records of live births at a large, urban, obstetric hospital, a sampling frame of approximately 2,400 mother-infant pairs were used to alternately sample 1,200 women. Mothers’ information including name, address, parity, age and infant characteristics such as sex and gestational age at delivery were extracted from records. Modes of contact included an invitation letter with option to opt out of the study, three mail surveys, a reminder letter and text message reminder for remaining non-respondents. Sixty-one per cent of women responded to the PRAMS Ireland survey over a 133 day response period. Women aged <30, single women, multiparous women and women with a preterm delivery were less likely to respond. Women participating in PRAMS Ireland were similar to the national birth profile in 2011 which had a mean age of 32, were 40 % primiparous, 33 % single or never married and had a 28 % caesarean section rate. Survey and protocol changes are required to increase response rates above recommended Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) thresholds of 65 % within the recommended 90 day data collection cycle. Additional efforts such as stratification and over-sampling are required to increase representativeness among hard to reach groups such as younger, single and multiparous women before expanding the project to an ongoing, national surveillance system in Ireland.
Perry, C.P., Keane, E., Layte, R., Fitzgerald, A.P., Perry, I.J., Harrington, J.M.	2015	The use of a dietary quality score as a predictor of childhood overweight and obesity	Open	BMC Public Health
Background The use of dietary quality scores/indices to describe diet quality in children has increased in the past decade. However, to date, few studies have focused on the use of these scores on disease outcomes such as childhood obesity and most are developed from detailed dietary assessments. Therefore, the aims of this study were: firstly to construct a diet quality score (DQS) from a brief dietary assessment tool; secondly to examine the association between diet quality and childhood overweight or obesity; thirdly we also aim to examine the associations between individual DQS components and childhood overweight or obesity. Methods A secondary analysis of cross sectional data of a sample of 8,568 9-year-old children and their families as part of the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study. Subjects were drawn from a probability proportionate to size sampling of primary schools throughout Ireland over the school year 2007–2008. Height and weight were measured by trained researchers using standardised methods and BMI was classified using the International Obesity Taskforce cut-points. The DQS (un-weighted) was developed using a 20-item, parent reported, food frequency questionnaire of foods consumed over the past 24 h. Adjusted odds ratios for overweight and obesity were examined by DQS quintile, using the first quintile (highest diet quality) as the reference category. Results The prevalence of normal weight, overweight and obese was 75, 19 and 6 % respectively. DQS ranged from -5 to 25, higher scores indicated higher diet quality in the continuous score. In analyses adjusted for gender, parent’s education, physical activity and T.V. viewing, child obesity but not overweight was significantly associated with poor diet quality: OR of 1.56 (95 % CI 1.02 2.38) in the 5th compared to the 1st DQS quintile. Findings from individual food items were inconsistent. Conclusions The findings suggest that diet quality may be an important factor in childhood obesity. A simple DQS developed from a short dietary assessment tool is significantly associated with childhood obesity.
Smyth, E.	2015	Wellbeing and School Experiences among 9- and 13-Year-Olds: Insights from the Growing Up in Ireland Study	Open	ESRI / National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

Walsh, B., Cullinan, J.	2015	Decomposing socioeconomic inequalities in childhood obesity: evidence from Ireland	Open	Economics and Human Biology
The objective of this paper is to quantify and decompose the socioeconomic gradient in childhood obesity in the Republic of Ireland. The analysis is performed using data from the first wave of the Growing Up in Ireland survey, a nationally representative survey of 8568 nine-year-old children conducted in 2007 and 2008. We estimate concentration indices to quantify the extent of the socioeconomic gradient in childhood obesity and undertake a subsequent decomposition analysis to pinpoint the key factors underpinning the observed inequalities. Overall the results confirm a strong socioeconomic gradient in childhood obesity in the Republic of Ireland. Concentration indices of obesity (CI = −0.168) and overweight/obese (CI = −0.057) show that the gradient is more pronounced in obese children, while results from the decomposition analysis suggest that the majority of the inequality in childhood obesity is explained by parental level variables. Our findings suggest that addressing childhood obesity inequalities requires coordinated policy responses at both the child and parental level.
Watson, D., Whelan, C.T., Maître, B., Williams, J.	2015	Family Economic Vulnerability and the Great Recession: an Analysis of the First Two Waves of the Growing Up in Ireland Study	Open	Longitudinal and Life Course Studies
In this paper we make use of the first and second waves of the 2008 and 1998 cohorts of the Growing Up in Ireland study, to develop a multidimensional and dynamic approach to understanding the impact on families and children in Ireland of the Great Recession. Economic vulnerability is operationalised as involving a distinctive risk profile in relation to relative income, household joblessness and economic stress. We find that the recession was associated with a significant increase in levels of economic vulnerability and changing risk profiles involving a more prominent role for economic stress for both the 2008 and 1998 cohorts. The factors affecting vulnerability outcomes were broadly similar for both cohorts. Persistent economic vulnerability was significantly associated with lone parenthood, particularly for those with more than one child, lower levels of primary care giver (PCG) education and, to a lesser extent, younger age of PCG at child’s birth, number of children and a parent leaving or dying. Similar factors were associated with transient vulnerability in the first wave but the magnitude of the effects was significantly weaker particularly in relation to lone parenthood and level of education of the PCG. For entry into vulnerability the impact of these factors was again substantially weaker than for persistent and transient vulnerability indicating a significantly greater degree of socioeconomic heterogeneity among the group that became vulnerable during the recession. The findings raise policy and political problems that go beyond those associated with catering for groups that have tended to be characterized by high dependence on social welfare.
Murray, A., McGinnity, F., Russell, H.	2016	Inequalities in Access to Early Care and Education in Ireland	Open	Cherishing All the Children Equally? Children in Ireland 100 Years on from the Easter Rising
Chapter 6 provides a detailed discussion of the history of childcare provision in Ireland throughout the 20th century before investigating trends in non-parental childcare for infants in the first few years of life. The role of the Free Pre-school Year, a major policy shift in the Irish context, is also discussed.
Murtagh, E.M., Dempster, M., Murphy, M.H.	2016	Determinants of uptake and maintenance of active commuting to school	Open	Health & Place
The objective was to identify determinants of uptake and maintenance of active school travel (AST) over 4 years in children aged 9 at baseline. Data from wave 1 (n=8502) and 2 (n=7479) of the Growing Up in Ireland study were analysed. At 9- and 13-years 25% and 20% engaged in AST. Children were more likely to maintain or take-up AST if they lived in an urban area. Change in distance to school influenced both maintenance and adoption of AST, with a negative impact seen for increased distance between 9 and 13 years and a positive impact seen for decreased distance. Some factors which predict uptake and maintenance of AST are modifiable and can inform intervention development.
Nixon, E., Swords, L.	2016	Is Family Structure a Source of Inequality in Children’s Lives?	Open	Cherishing All the Children Equally? Children in Ireland 100 Years on from the Easter Rising
None of the many critical moments in Ireland’s often tumultuous history was more significant or defining than the Easter Rising of 1916. Central to the Rising was the Proclamation of Independence, in which Pádraig Pearse declared the new nation’s resolve to cherish all its children equally. CHERISHING ALL THE CHILDREN EQUALLY? brings together contributions from a range of disciplines to shed light on the processes of child development and to investigate how that development is influenced by a variety of demographic, family and socio-economic factors. Making extensive use of research and data that have emerged over recent years from the Growing Up in Ireland longitudinal study of children, the book considers whether or not all children can participate fully and equitably in contemporary Irish society. It asks whether or not we do, in fact, cherish all our children equally in modern Ireland, regardless of their family circumstances, health or ethnic background. TABLES OF CONTENTS: Introduction Changing Perceptions and Experiences of Childhood, 1916-2016 Children and Families, Then & Now Is Family Structure a Source of Inequality in Children’s Lives? Parental Investment & Child Development Inequalities in Access to Early Care and Education in Ireland Inequalities from the Start? Children’s Integration into Primary School Insights into the Prevalence of Special Educational Needs The Experiences of Migrant Children in Ireland Social Variation in Child Health & Development: A Life-course Approach Child Access to GP Services in Ireland: Do User Fees Matter? Anti-Social Behaviour at Age 13 Child Economic Vulnerability Dynamics in the Recession Concluding Observations
Quigley, J., Nixon, E.	2016	Parental Investment & Child Development	Open	Cherishing All the Children Equally? Children in Ireland 100 Years on from the Easter Rising
None of the many critical moments in Ireland’s often tumultuous history was more significant or defining than the Easter Rising of 1916. Central to the Rising was the Proclamation of Independence, in which Pádraig Pearse declared the new nation’s resolve to cherish all its children equally. CHERISHING ALL THE CHILDREN EQUALLY? brings together contributions from a range of disciplines to shed light on the processes of child development and to investigate how that development is influenced by a variety of demographic, family and socio-economic factors. Making extensive use of research and data that have emerged over recent years from the Growing Up in Ireland longitudinal study of children, the book considers whether or not all children can participate fully and equitably in contemporary Irish society. It asks whether or not we do, in fact, cherish all our children equally in modern Ireland, regardless of their family circumstances, health or ethnic background. TABLES OF CONTENTS: Introduction Changing Perceptions and Experiences of Childhood, 1916-2016 Children and Families, Then & Now Is Family Structure a Source of Inequality in Children’s Lives? Parental Investment & Child Development Inequalities in Access to Early Care and Education in Ireland Inequalities from the Start? Children’s Integration into Primary School Insights into the Prevalence of Special Educational Needs The Experiences of Migrant Children in Ireland Social Variation in Child Health & Development: A Life-course Approach Child Access to GP Services in Ireland: Do User Fees Matter? Anti-Social Behaviour at Age 13 Child Economic Vulnerability Dynamics in the Recession Concluding Observations
Russell, H., Kenny, O., McGinnity, F.	2016	Childcare, Early Education and Socio-Emotional Outcomes at Age 5: Evidence from the Growing up in Ireland Study	Open	ESRI / Pobal
This report investigates the effects of childcare in early life on children’s socio-emotional development at age five using a large representative sample of children (circa 9,000) from the Growing Up in Ireland study. At age three, prior to the Free Preschool Year, around half the children in the study were in non-parental childcare. There were three categories of non-parental childcare: Relative care, usually by a grandparent Non-relative care, typically a childminder Centre-based care, e.g. crèche
Smyth, E.	2016	Arts and Cultural Participation among Children and Young People: Insights from the Growing Up in Ireland Study	Open	ESRI / The Arts Council
This major study, conducted by the ESRI on behalf of the Arts Council, draws on Growing Up in Ireland data to assess arts and cultural participation specifically among 3, 5, 9 and 13-year-olds
Smyth, E.	2016	Social relationships and the transition to secondary school	Open	The Economic and Social Review
International research has pointed to the social and academic adjustment required of young people moving to secondary education and the importance of social support in easing this transition. However, studies have rarely looked at the simultaneous impact of different social networks on this process and how these networks may mediate the influence of social background. This paper draws on Growing Up in Ireland data to look at the influence of parents, peers and teachers on two dimensions of the transition process, which capture social, socio-emotional and academic aspects of the adjustment: the ease of settling into secondary education, as measured by parents’ reports of transition difficulties among their children, and academic adjustment to secondary education, as reflected in changes in young people’s academic self-image. Parental support is found to play a crucial role in helping young people adjust to the new school setting but, contrary to much previous research, formal involvement in their children’s schooling, especially in helping with homework, plays a much less important role. Over and above supportive relations, parental cultural, economic and social resources are found to play a direct role in improving young people’s confidence as learners and in enhancing transition experiences. Peer networks typically grow larger over the transition to secondary education but those young people who were more socially isolated at primary level experience greater difficulties. In keeping with previous research, the quality of relations with teachers emerges as a key driver of academic and social adjustment to secondary education.
Smyth, E., Darmody, M.	2016	Attitudes to Irish as a School Subject among 13-year-olds	Open	ESRI Working Paper
The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of background and school factors on second-level students’ attitudes toward Irish as a school subject drawing on the Growing Up in Ireland study. The study focuses on the perceptions of the core subjects, English, Mathematics and Irish, and presents a profile of students who find the Irish language interesting or difficult. The study enables us to investigate the attitudes of teenagers towards the language in a systematic way, including personal, school and other characteristics that may have an impact on attitudes towards the Irish language.
Smyth, E.	2016	Inequalities from the Start? Children’s Integration into Primary School	Open	Cherishing All the Children Equally? Children in Ireland 100 Years on from the Easter Rising
None of the many critical moments in Ireland’s often tumultuous history was more significant or defining than the Easter Rising of 1916. Central to the Rising was the Proclamation of Independence, in which Pádraig Pearse declared the new nation’s resolve to cherish all its children equally. CHERISHING ALL THE CHILDREN EQUALLY? brings together contributions from a range of disciplines to shed light on the processes of child development and to investigate how that development is influenced by a variety of demographic, family and socio-economic factors. Making extensive use of research and data that have emerged over recent years from the Growing Up in Ireland longitudinal study of children, the book considers whether or not all children can participate fully and equitably in contemporary Irish society. It asks whether or not we do, in fact, cherish all our children equally in modern Ireland, regardless of their family circumstances, health or ethnic background. TABLES OF CONTENTS: Introduction Changing Perceptions and Experiences of Childhood, 1916-2016 Children and Families, Then & Now Is Family Structure a Source of Inequality in Children’s Lives? Parental Investment & Child Development Inequalities in Access to Early Care and Education in Ireland Inequalities from the Start? Children’s Integration into Primary School Insights into the Prevalence of Special Educational Needs The Experiences of Migrant Children in Ireland Social Variation in Child Health & Development: A Life-course Approach Child Access to GP Services in Ireland: Do User Fees Matter? Anti-Social Behaviour at Age 13 Child Economic Vulnerability Dynamics in the Recession Concluding Observations
Thornton, M., Williams, J.	2016	Anti-Social Behaviour at Age 13	Open	Cherishing All the Children Equally? Children in Ireland 100 Years on from the Easter Rising
Chapter 12 considers the prevalence of anti-social behaviour in the early teenage years in Ireland, the nature of this behaviour and the extent to which anti-social behaviour is associated with socio-economic characteristics of the family, family structure and other factors such as parenting style, the adolescent’s self-esteem and peer influences.
Watson, D., Whelan, C.T., Maître, B., Williams, J.	2016	Socio-economic variation in the impact of the Irish recession on the experience of economic stress among families	Open	Economic and Social Review
In this paper we make use of the first and second waves of the 2008 and 1998 cohorts of the Growing Up in Ireland study, to develop a multidimensional and dynamic approach to understanding the impact on families and children in Ireland of the Great Recession. Economic vulnerability is operationalised as involving a distinctive risk profile in relation to relative income, household joblessness and economic stress. We find that the recession was associated with a significant increase in levels of economic vulnerability and changing risk profiles involving a more prominent role for economic stress for both the 2008 and 1998 cohorts. The factors affecting vulnerability outcomes were broadly similar for both cohorts. Persistent economic vulnerability was significantly associated with lone parenthood, particularly for those with more than one child, lower levels of primary care giver (PCG) education and, to a lesser extent, younger age of PCG at child’s birth, number of children and a parent leaving or dying. Similar factors were associated with transient vulnerability in the first wave but the magnitude of the effects was significantly weaker particularly in relation to lone parenthood and level of education of the PCG. For entry into vulnerability the impact of these factors was again substantially weaker than for persistent and transient vulnerability indicating a significantly greater degree of socioeconomic heterogeneity among the group that became vulnerable during the recession. The findings raise policy and political problems that go beyond those associated with catering for groups that have tended to be characterized by high dependence on social welfare.

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