Where are the vulnerable children? Identification and comparison of clusters of young children with health and developmental vulnerabilities across Queensland

TL;DR

This study identifies and compares geographical clusters of young children with health and developmental vulnerabilities in Queensland, using data analysis to inform targeted policies and interventions.

Contribution

It introduces a clustering approach to map vulnerabilities across regions, providing a novel, data-driven basis for targeted child health policies in Queensland.

Findings

Identified distinct clusters of vulnerable children geographically.

Mapped high and low vulnerability regions in Queensland.

Provided an interactive dashboard for policymakers and researchers.

Abstract

This study aimed to better understand the vulnerability of 5 to 6 year old children in their first year of school, based on five health and development domains. Identification of subgroups of children within these domains can lead to more targeted research and policies to reduce these vulnerabilities. The study focused on finding clusters of geographical regions with high and low proportions of vulnerable children in Queensland, Australia. K-means analysis was conducted on data from the Australian Early Development Census and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The clusters were then compared with respect to their geographic locations and risk factor profiles. The results are made publicly available via an interactive dashboard application in R Shiny