Sex differences in the socioeconomic gradient of children's early development

Simon Webb; Eric Duku; Marni Brownell; Jennifer Enns; Barry Forer; Martin Guhn; Anita Minh; Nazeem Muhajarine; Magdalena Janus

doi:10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100512

Sex differences in the socioeconomic gradient of children's early development

SSM Popul Health. 2019 Nov 15:10:100512. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100512. eCollection 2020 Apr.

Authors

Simon Webb¹, Eric Duku¹, Marni Brownell², Jennifer Enns², Barry Forer³, Martin Guhn³, Anita Minh³, Nazeem Muhajarine⁴, Magdalena Janus¹

Affiliations

¹ Offord Centre for Child Studies, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West - MIP Suite 201A, L8S 4K1, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
² Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3P5, Canada.
³ The Human Early Learning Partnership, University of British Columbia, Suite 440, 2206, East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
⁴ Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit, University of Saskatchewan, 104 Clinic Road, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E5, Canada.

Abstract

Sex differences in early child development (ECD) are well documented, as is the socioeconomic status (SES) gradient in early development outcomes. However, relatively little is known about whether the SES gradient in ECD outcomes varies by sex. This study examines whether the association between neighbourhood SES and developmental health outcomes of Canadian kindergarten children is different for girls than for boys. Individual-level child development data, collected using the Early Development Instrument (EDI), were combined with neighbourhood-level socioeconomic data from Statistics Canada's Census and Tax Filer databases. Using an SES index comprising 10 socioeconomic variables, we show a significant cross-level interaction between neighbourhood SES and sex in relation to children's developmental outcomes: the neighbourhood SES gradient in child outcomes is steeper for males than for females. This finding was consistent across all five developmental domains measured by the EDI, for overall developmental health, and across geographical regions in Canada. Further research using family-level SES data, data from multiple time points and countries, and qualitative studies would help to further contextualize the observed interactions.

Keywords: CI, Confidence Interval; EM, Emotional Maturity; LC, Language and Cognitive Development; OR, Odds Ratio; PHWB, Physical Health and Well-Being; SC, Social Competence; and CSGK, Communication Skills and General Knowledge.