Impact of Poor Child Health on Community Involvement in Adolescence
Discussant: Sabrina Terrizzi
The FFCWB study is well-suited for investigating the impact of early childhood health risks on teen outcomes. It is a national urban birth cohort study that includes include detailed information on the health of the children from birth, background information on both of the child’s parents whether or not the father resides in the child’s household, and reports on the child’s activities at age 15 from both the child him/herself and his/her primary caregiver.
Preliminary results suggest that children with early health risks are significantly less likely than their healthier peers to engage in a range of extracurricular activities, including school clubs and activities as well as broader community activities such as volunteering and religious activities. The associations are stronger for mothers with lower levels of education.
The findings from this study will provide important population-level information about the social development of children with early health risks and contribute to the broader literature on social interactions and health by considering reverse linkages at a critical period of the lifecourse.