SOME SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF A MUCH-STUDIED COHORT - THE DUNEDIN MULTIDISCIPLINARY HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT STUDY

This paper summarises the results of socioeconomic comparisons made be tween the parents of 15-year-old children enrolled in the Dunedin Mult idisciplinary Health and Development Study (DMHDS) and the population of New Zealand parents with children of similar age identified from th e 1986 Census database. DMHDS parents were significantly advantaged in terms of education, income, occupation, and overall socioeconomic sta tus. Prevalence estimates of characteristics associated with socioecon omic factors reported by the DMHDS are likely to be conservative. Neve rtheless, the full socioeconomic spectrum of parents was represented, therefore, the identification of socioeconomic risk factors for partic ular outcomes can be achieved within the structure of the DMHDS cohort itself.