Timeframe
2023–2024
Funding
National Science Challenges
COMPASS staff
Barry Milne
Eileen Li
Collaborators
Kevin Chang
Description
This project uses dynamic closed-cohort microsimulation to build an accurate model of early life-course development in New Zealand, extending the years of consideration from previous studies to range from birth up to the age of 24. The people represented by the model are simulated to develop various outcomes with associated propensities, based on regression models using findings from interventions undertaken as part of the National Science Challenge “A Better Start”. The simulation is “closed-cohort” meaning that it only follows the progress through time of the people in the base data set; neither new births nor migrations are modelled.
A series of policy briefs has been created to show off the capabilities of the Better Start Model:
Overview: Better-Start-Model-Overview.pdf
The Better Start Model can be fully explored via R Shiny at https://compassnz.shinyapps.io/BetterStartModelShiny. The model covered three outcome topics with a total of five aspects being investigated within them:
- Wellbeing
- The impact of the Stress Less intervention
- Literacy
- The impact of the Better Start Literacy Approach at age 5
- The impact of phonological awareness at age 5 on reading comprehension at age 10
- Obesity
- The impact of the Prevention of Overweightness in Infancy sleep intervention on obesity at age 5
- The impact of smoking in pregnancy on obesity at age 5.