Anne Gadermann
Children’s relationships with peers and adults have a greater impact on their well-being than socio-economic status, according to a study by the Faculty of Medicine’s Human Early Learning Partnership.
The study, which appears in the Journal of Happiness Studies, investigated the relationship between socio-economic, demographic and social factors, as well as health-related habits and activities.
“Our findings underline the essential importance of positive social relationships with adults and peers for children’s health and subjective well-being,” says Anne Gadermann, an Assistant Professor with the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) at UBC’s School of Population and Public Health. “Making homes, schools and community settings places of belonging and caring is important for children’s thriving.”
The researchers surveyed 5,026 Grade 4 students from 121 elementary schools in three public school districts in B.C. Students were asked to rate themselves in a range of areas related to their life satisfaction, health, social relationships, and health-related habits and activities. Socio-economic status was determined using census data on income.
The most significant predictors of life satisfaction were a sense of connectedness with adults at home and at school, as well as peer belonging. The most significant predictors of overall health were peer belonging, connectedness with adults at home, school and neighbourhood; frequency of having breakfast; and participating in after-school team sports. The frequency of eating junk food was negatively associated with self-rated health.
“Understanding factors associated with children’s health and sense of well-being is important so that, as a society, we are better able to support them in their development,” says Dr. Gadermann, a researcher at the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHÉOS) in the Providence Health Care Research Institute. “Health and subjective well-being of children are important in their own right, and they are also associated with positive outcomes during adolescence and adulthood.”