View Royal

Population

In 2001, 5,270 people lived in the View Royal area, with a total of 270 children aged 0-4, comprising 5.1% of the total population.

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Mobility

On average, 19% of Victoria area residents (nearly one in five) changed homes in the year prior to the census. This is higher than both the BC (16.4%) and National (14.3%) mobility averages. In View Royal, 18.3% of the total population of this neighbourhood changed addresses in the year prior to the census; this represents similar mobility to the region as a whole.

High levels of mobility may be stressful for families and young children. This may affect the degree to which families know their neighbours, or are familiar with the resources around them. Families in neighbourhoods with high-mobility are less likely to connect with other families for informal support and information.

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Implications

In addition to being socially disruptive, a high level of transience is a huge challenge for community development approaches to child development and to continuity of care for children with special needs. When children reach school age, it becomes a further challenge for educational momentum and continuity. Increasing family residential mobility has been associated with higher levels of behavioural vulnerability in middle childhood. It is reasonable to infer that the high rates of residential transience in inner city neighbourhoods complicate efforts to build social cohesion that impacts children in those areas (Hertzman et al., 2002).

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Childcare

Good quality childcare can positively influence developmental outcomes for young children whether it is provided in the home or in a childcare centre.

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Access to Licensed Childcare

View Royal has between 1 and 19 spaces per 100 children aged 0-5 (2003).

There is one licensed family child care facility, two out of school care facilities, one infant care facility, one preschool, and two group day care facilities in the View Royal neighbourhood (2005). There is no child minding available in this neighbourhood.

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Lone Parent Families

More than one in five families (21.7%) in the View Royal neighbourhood are headed by a lone parent. This is higher than the regional average of 16%. Lone parent families face significant challenges in balancing the demands of raising children while earning a living. Children of lone parent families are more likely to be living in poverty than those from two-parent families. While most children from lone-parent households do well, research has shown that a higher proportion of children with cognitive and behavioural problems come from such families.

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Income

A higher family income level makes the conditions for healthy child development more easily accessible. For example, access to good quality child care, nutritious food, secure housing, and community participation improves as income level rises.

The average annual household income in the View Royal area is $49,000 and 12.9% of the population of this neighbourhood, or one in fourteen people, fall below the low income cutoff. The StatsCan Census Dictionary defines the low income cut-off as economic families or unattached individuals who spend 20% more than average on food, shelter and clothing. In 2000, nearly one in every ten families in Victoria was below the low-income cut-off (9%), compared with 13.6% of BC families, and 12.6% of Canadian families.

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Unemployment

Research has shown that neighbourhoods with high levels of unemployment can impact negatively on children's behavioural outcomes. The mean unemployment rate for the Victoria CMA was 6.6%, slightly lower than the overall national rate of 7.4% and the provincial average of 8.5%. The unemployment rate for View Royal is 8.4 - 10.1%, which is slightly lower than the regional rate.

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Education

Higher parental education is positively related to the language development of children. Studies have shown that the education level of the primary caregiver, often the mother, is of particular significance to the child's readiness for school . In View Royal, more than one in five adults (27.2%) have not completed grade 12. This is higher than local and provincial averages of 19-20%. Fewer than one in eight adults (3.6 - 12.6%) in this neighbourhood have a bachelors' degree or higher.

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Pregnancy & Birth Information

There were 14,517 live births in the study area between 1998 and 2002. In 2001, there were 44 live births to women residing in View Royal, corresponding to a live birth rate of 8-9 per 1000 population.

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Small For Gestational Age

A baby that is born small for gestational age is one that has a low birth weight after consideration for duration of the mother's pregnancy. This measure is generally more useful than looking strictly at low birth weight because there is a stronger connection to the future use of health services; babies that are small for gestational age typically have long lasting health consequences and a greater need for services than low birth weight babies (though there is some overlap between the two groups). The smallest 10% of babies at each gestational age - excluding twins and triplets - are defined as 'small for gestational age'.

There were a total of 203 infants born Small for Gestational Age (SGA) in the study area during the period 1998 to 2002, accounting for 1.4% of all live births. In View Royal, between 1.6 and 1.9% of babies born between 1998 and 2002 were SGA, one of the highest SGA rates in the region.

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Low Birth Weight

Low birth weight babies are those less than 2500 grams or 5.5 pounds, and are either born before 37 weeks gestation or are small for gestational age. Low birth weight is a key determinant of infant survival, health and development. Low birth weight has been linked to infant mortality, physical disability and long term health problems, including heart disease and diabetes. In View Royal, 7.6-9.6% of babies born between 1998 and 2002 had a low birth weight.

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High Birth Weight

High birth weight may increase an infant's disposition to certain chronic conditions in adulthood, including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and breast cancer HBW is defined as infants born weighing over 4,000 grams . Between 1998 and 2002, the proportion of high birth weight babies in the study area ranged from 12% to 32%. In View Royal, approximately 12-13% of infants born between 1998 and 2002 had a high birth weight.

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Proportion of Infants Born to Teenage Mothers

Throughout the study site, there were a total of 94 births to teen mothers (aged 15-19) in 2001. The proportion of births to teen mothers by neighbourhood ranges from 0% to 12.2% across the region. The teen fertility rate in 2001 for the study area is 10 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19. In View Royal in 2001, 2 - 3.4% of the births were to teenaged mothers.

How is early childhood healthy development related to children born to teenage mothers? Research from the Canadian National Longitudinal Study of Children and Youth demonstrates that the highest rates of smoking by pregnant women is among mothers in their teens and early twenties, and we know that smoking contributes to both low birth weight and small for gestational age babies. In addition to these facts, we know that smoking is modifiable and that pregnant women are generally very motivated to make such life style changes. There are other factors related to teenage motherhood, which are more difficult to modify, but are important to consider in the way a community offers support. Teen mothers are characterized by socio-economic disadvantage and interrupted education, and they are also more likely to be depressed. There is a clear pattern of improvement in childhood outcomes as childbearing age increases. Children of mothers aged 26-30 show the least vulnerability to problematic outcomes.

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Early Development Instrument Results: View Royal

A total of 38 children from View Royal are included in the EDI results for this neighbourhood. This violates the minimum size requirements for EDI validity. More than one quarter of children in View Royal are vulnerable on one or more scales of the EDI. Based on the population aged 0-4 in 2001, there are approximately 85 vulnerable young children in this neighbourhood.

Table: Summary of EDI Results for View Royal

  Physical Social Emotional Language Communication Overall
Average score /10 8.06 8.35 8.28 7.94 6.97  
% Vulnerable 18.42 7.89 10.53 13.16 10.53 31.58
Classification High Challenge Wide Range Wide Range Wide Range Buffered  

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Physical Health & Well-being

Young children in View Royal scored slightly below average in the physical well-being scale for the EDI. Nearly one in every five children is considered vulnerable in terms of physical health and well being. Based on the average score and slightly higher than expected vulnerability, this is a 'high challenge' domain for this neighbourhood.

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Social Competence

Children in View Royal scored about average on this scale. Approximately one in twelve children are considered vulnerable in terms of social competence compared to local cutoffs.

Given the low vulnerability and average score, this is a 'wide range' domain.

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Emotional Maturity

Children in View Royal scored slightly higher than average in this domain. Approximately one in ten children is considered vulnerable in terms of emotional maturity. Given the high average scores and average vulnerability, this neighbourhood is considered wide range.

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Language & Cognitive Development

Children in View Royal scored slightly lower than average in this domain, and approximately one in eight children is considered vulnerable in this domain. Given lower average scores and vulnerability, this neighbourhood is considered wide range in this domain.

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Communication & General Knowledge

Children in View Royal scored quite low in this domain. Approximately one in ten children is considered vulnerable in this domain. The low average score, yet lower than anticipated vulnerability suggest his neighbourhood is buffered in this domain.

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