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. 2019 Apr;64(4):237-245.
doi: 10.1177/0706743719833675.

The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study-Methodology

Michael H Boyle  1 , Katholiki Georgiades  1 , Laura Duncan  1   2 , Jinette Comeau  3   4 , Li Wang  1   2 ; 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Team  5
Affiliations

The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study-Methodology

Michael H Boyle et al. Can J Psychiatry. 2019 Apr.

Abstract
in English, French

Objective: To describe the methodology of the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS): a province-wide, cross-sectional, epidemiologic study of child health and mental disorder among 4- to 17-year-olds living in household dwellings.

Method: Implemented by Statistics Canada, the 2014 OCHS was led by academic researchers at the Offord Centre for Child Studies (McMaster University). Eligible households included families with children aged 4 to 17 years, who were listed on the 2014 Canadian Child Tax Benefit File. The survey design included area and household stratification by income and 3-stage cluster sampling of areas and households to yield a probability sample of families.

Results: The 2014 OCHS included 6,537 responding households (50.8%) with 10,802 children aged 4 to 17 years. Lower income families living in low-income neighbourhoods were less likely to participate. In addition to measures of childhood mental disorder assessed by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID) and OCHS Emotional Behavioural Scales (OCHS-EBS), the survey contains measures of neighbourhoods, schools, families and children, and includes administrative data held by the Ministries of Education and Health and Long-Term Care.

Conclusions: The complex survey design and differential non-response of the 2014 OCHS required the use of sampling weights and adjustment for design effects. The study is available throughout Canada in the Statistics Canada Research Data Centres (RDCs). We urge external investigators to access the study through the RDCs or to contact us directly to collaborate on future secondary analysis studies based on the OCHS.

Objectif :: Décrire la méthodologie de l’Étude sur la santé des jeunes Ontariens 2014 (ESJO), une étude à l’échelle provinciale, transversale et épidémiologique sur la santé des jeunes et les troubles mentaux chez les 4 à 17 ans habitant le logement d’un ménage.

Méthode :: Mise en œuvre par Statistique Canada, l’ESJO 2014 était menée par des chercheurs universitaires du Centre Offord d’études de l’enfant (Université McMaster). Les ménages admissibles comprenaient des familles d’enfants de 4 à 17 ans inscrits au fichier de 2014 de la prestation fiscale canadienne pour enfants. La méthode de l’étude comprenait une stratification des quartiers et des ménages selon le revenu ainsi qu’un échantillonnage à trois degrés des quartiers et des ménages pour produire un échantillon aléatoire des familles.

Résultats :: L’ESJO 2014 comportait 6 537 ménages répondants (50,8%) comptant 10 802 enfants de 4 à 17 ans. Les familles à faible revenu habitant des quartiers défavorisés étaient moins susceptibles de participer. Outre les mesures des troubles mentaux pédiatriques évalués par la Mini-entrevue neuropsychiatrique internationale pour enfants et adolescents (MINI Kid) et les échelles émotionnelles comportementales de l’ESJO (EEC-ESJO), l’étude contient des mesures des quartiers, des écoles, des familles, et des enfants, en plus des données administratives tenues par le ministère de l’Éducation et le ministère de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée.

Conclusions :: La méthode complexe de l’étude et la non-réponse différentielle de l’ESJO 2014 ont exigé d’utiliser des poids d’échantillonnage et des ajustements en fonction des effets du plan. L’étude est disponible au Canada dans les Centres de données de recherche (CDR) de Statistique Canada. Nous prions les chercheurs externes d’accéder à l’étude par les CDR ou de communiquer avec nous directement afin de collaborer à de futures analyses secondaires fondées sur l’ESJO.

Keywords: Ontario; child health; complex surveys; epidemiology; methodology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Data Access: Data access available through Statistics Canada Research Data Centres.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The primary authors (MB, KG, LD, JC and LW) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Theoretical framework for the 2014 OCHS.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Basic survey design for the 2014 OCHS. Areas (stage 2 rows) and households (stage 3 columns) are cross-classified by income. The bolded numbers in the grid are participating households (percent response), and the italicized numbers are participating children (percent response). CT, Census Tract; DA, Dissemination Area; P80, above the 80th percentile of income.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Data sources and concepts for the 2014 OCHS. †link with Administrative data ‡report from spouse/partner.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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