Table 1.
Characteristics of children with a NAPLAN record at grade 3
| Factors | Children without recorded hospitalisations prior to NAPLAN assessment at grade 3 | Children hospitalised without any chronic conditions prior to NAPLAN assessment at grade 3 | Children hospitalised with a chronic condition prior to NAPLAN assessment at grade 3 |
| n (column %) | n (column %) | n (column %) | |
| All | 147 456 (100) | 105 033 (100) | 50 091 (100) |
| Child’s sex | |||
| Male | 68 324 (46.3) | 58 242 (55.5) | 29 931 (59.8) |
| Female | 79 060 (53.6) | 46 748 (44.5) | 20 125 (40.2) |
| Unknown | 72 (0.1) | 43 (0.0) | 35 (0.1) |
| Child perinatal factors | |||
| Gestational age (weeks) | |||
| Preterm birth (gestational age ≤36) | 7716 (5.2) | 7754 (7.4) | 4919 (9.8) |
| Term birth (gestational age: 37–41) | 135 894 (92.2) | 94 965 (90.4) | 44 093 (88.0) |
| Post-term birth (gestational age ≥42) | 3833 (2.6) | 2297 (2.2) | 1074 (2.1) |
| Missing | 13 (0.0) | 17 (0.0) | -- (--) |
| Birth weight by gestation | |||
| Small for gestation (<10%) | 15 593 (10.6) | 12 073 (11.5) | 6116 (12.2) |
| Birth weight by gestation: 10%–90% | 117 038 (79.4) | 82 522 (78.6) | 38 766 (77.4) |
| Large for gestation (≥90%) | 14 606 (9.9) | 10 229 (9.7) | 5084 (10.2) |
| Missing | 219 (0.2) | 209 (0.2) | 125 (0.3) |
| Plurality | |||
| Singleton | 143 534 (97.3) | 101 532 (96.7) | 48 275 (96.4) |
| Twins or others | 3922 (2.7) | 3501 (3.3) | 1816 (3.6) |
| Apgar score (5 min) | |||
| 5 min Apgar:<7 | 1542 (1.1) | 1368 (1.3) | 975 (2.0) |
| 5 min Apgar: 7–10 | 145 571 (98.7) | 103 446 (98.5) | 48 997 (97.8) |
| Missing | 343 (0.2) | 219 (0.2) | 119 (0.2) |
| Maternal and familial socioeconomic factors | |||
| Maternal parity | |||
| First-born child | 58 863 (39.9) | 43 772 (41.7) | 21 476 (42.9) |
| Second-born child | 50 928 (34.5) | 34 569 (32.9) | 16 487 (32.9) |
| Third-born child or younger | 37 575 (25.5) | 26 620 (25.3) | 12 112 (24.2) |
| Missing | 90 (0.1) | 72 (0.1) | 16 (0.0) |
| Gestational weeks at first antenatal visit | |||
| Antenatal care <20 weeks | 127 510 (86.5) | 91 013 (86.7) | 43 444 (86.7) |
| Antenatal care ≥20 weeks | 19 000 (12.9) | 13 159 (12.5) | 6190 (12.4) |
| Missing | 946 (0.6) | 861 (0.8) | 457 (0.9) |
| Maternal smoking during pregnancy | |||
| Yes | 24 919 (16.9) | 21 833 (20.8) | 10 140 (20.2) |
| No | 122 302 (82.9) | 83 075 (79.1) | 39 880 (79.6) |
| Unknown | 235 (0.2) | 125 (0.1) | 71 (0.1) |
| Maternal age at child’s birth (years) | |||
| <20 | 6338 (4.3) | 6235 (5.9) | 2664 (5.3) |
| 20–24 | 21 939 (14.9) | 18 576 (17.7) | 8558 (17.1) |
| 25–34 | 89 576 (60.8) | 62 037 (59.1) | 29 810 (59.5) |
| 35–39 | 24 395 (16.5) | 15 025 (14.3) | 7436 (14.8) |
| ≥40 | 5161 (3.5) | 3125 (3.0) | 1608 (3.2) |
| Missing | 47 (0.0) | 35 (0.0) | 15 (0.0) |
| Maternal postcode-level residential socioeconomic disadvantage (IRSD)* | |||
| ≤25% (most disadvantaged) | 30 774 (20.9) | 23 658 (22.5) | 10 505 (21.0) |
| >25% and <=50% | 36 451 (24.7) | 27 597 (26.3) | 12 199 (24.4) |
| >50% and <=75% | 39 703 (26.9) | 26 930 (25.6) | 12 974 (25.9) |
| >75% (least disadvantaged) | 40 433 (27.4) | 26 791 (25.5) | 14 388 (28.7) |
| Missing | 95 (0.1) | 57 (0.1) | 25 (0.1) |
| Maternal postcode-level residential remoteness (ARIA) † | |||
| Major cities of Australia | 114 835 (77.9) | 77 687 (74) | 38 674 (77.2) |
| Inner regional Australia | 24 525 (16.6) | 19 739 (18.8) | 8379 (16.7) |
| Outer regional Australia | 7355 (5.0) | 6703 (6.4) | 2638 (5.3) |
| Remote and very remote Australia | 683 (0.5) | 868 (0.8) | 387 (0.8) |
| Unknown | 58 (0.0) | 36 (0.0) | 13 (0.0) |
| Maternal country of birth | |||
| Australia born | 105 142 (71.3) | 80 657 (76.8) | 38 619 (77.1) |
| Non-Australia born | 42 314 (28.7) | 24 376 (23.2) | 11 472 (22.9) |
| Parental highest educational attainment ‡ | |||
| Year 12 or equivalent or below | 31 790 (21.6) | 25 522 (24.3) | 11 415 (22.8) |
| Certificate or diploma | 61 036 (41.4) | 44 674 (42.5) | 21 091 (42.1) |
| Bachelor’s degree or above | 44 109 (29.9) | 26 582 (25.3) | 13 629 (27.2) |
| Missing | 10 521 (7.1) | 8255 (7.9) | 3956 (7.9) |
| Child’s age at NAPLAN grade 3 test | |||
| 7 years | 9375 (6.4) | 5796 (5.5) | 2341 (4.7) |
| 8 years | 121 755 (82.6) | 85 437 (81.3) | 39 870 (79.6) |
| 9 years | 16 266 (11.0) | 13 763 (13.1) | 7835 (15.6) |
| Other | 60 (0.0) | 37 (0.0) | 45 (0.1) |
| Child’s year of birth | |||
| 2000 | 16 186 (11.0) | 12 647 (12.0) | 5918 (11.8) |
| 2001 | 23 403 (15.9) | 17 946 (17.1) | 8313 (16.6) |
| 2002 | 23 854 (16.2) | 17 577 (16.7) | 8439 (16.9) |
| 2003 | 24 396 (16.5) | 17 343 (16.5) | 8315 (16.6) |
| 2004 | 24 373 (16.5) | 16 888 (16.1) | 8308 (16.6) |
| 2005 | 26 630 (18.1) | 17 417 (16.6) | 8375 (16.7) |
| 2006 | 8614 (5.8) | 5215 (5.0) | 2423 (4.8) |
*Maternal postcode-level residential socioeconomic disadvantage was measured using the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage (IRSD) score.
†Maternal postcode-level residential remoteness was determined using the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) classification.
‡Parental highest educational attainment was measured at the time of the child’s NAPLAN grade 3 test.
§Numbers from 1 to 5 are suppressed from presentation to protect individual confidentiality.
NAPLAN, National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy.