Early Years

Growing up in Scotland (GUS)

Growing up in Scotland study: Year 3 findings

New findings from the third year of the study have recently been published by the Scottish Government. At Year 3 of GUS, the children in the study are aged nearly 3 and nearly 5. Some of the older children have started school.

Non-resident parents

  • What is the extent of non-resident fatherhood and household change in young children’s lives?
  • What patterns of contact do children have with their non-resident parent?
  • How do parents make contact arrangements, negotiate decisions and manage any conflict?

Findings

  • Around one-fifth of children aged 3 and one-quarter of children aged 5 do not live with their father.
  • Two-thirds of children with a non-resident parent have contact with that parent, but one third do not.
  • Most families negotiate and agree contact arrangements informally, with just 5% of cases going through the courts.

Food and activity

  • What are children under 5 eating and what influences what they eat?
  • What physical and sedentary activities are young children taking part in?
  • What is the relationship between diet, activity and BMI in young children?

Findings

  • Most children aged 5 (84%) eat two or more types of fruit each day while 52% eat two or more types of vegetable.
  • The socio-economic divide persists, with children living in low income households and in the most deprived areas less likely to eat a range of fruit and vegetables and more likely to consume unhealthy snacks.
  • 41% of children in the most deprived areas had eaten a takeaway meal in the past week, compared to 23% of children in more affluent areas.
  • Children who are less physically active are more likely to consume unhealthy foods.
  • Children who had been breastfed had a healthier diet than those who had not been breastfed.

Parenting and the neighbourhood context

  • What are families’ experiences of living in Scotland’s neighbourhoods?
  • To what extent are parents satisfied with services and facilities in their local area?
  • Is there a relationship between area characteristics and parenting behaviours?

Findings

  • Most parents (81%) are satisfied with the area where they live.
  • Deprived areas were generally seen as less child-friendly and rural areas as more child-friendly, despite having less access to some services.
  • The majority of families (88%) live within 10 minutes' walk from a park or playground but one fifth of parents said that improving facilities for young children should be the top priority in their area.
  • Parents who reported more satisfactory friends and family networks engaged in more activities with their child, and were more open to seeking help and support.

Childcare

  • How prevalent is the use of more than one childcare provider and how does this vary with the age of the child?
  • What types of childcare are used and in what combinations?
  • What are parents’ perspectives on their childcare arrangements?
  • Does the use of multiple childcare providers have an impact on child development?

Findings

  • Three-quarters of parents with children aged just under 3 and 82% of those with children aged just under 5 use childcare.
  • Many families use more than one childcare provider, 59% of families using childcare with a child aged just under 4 used more than one childcare provider.
  • The most common form of multiple childcare arrangement is the child’s grandparent(s) plus some other form of care, usually nursery.
  • Parents using multiple childcare providers are no less satisfied with their arrangements than parents using just one provider.
  • Using more than one type of childcare was not found to have an effect on children’s cognitive development at age 3.

The impact of children’s early activities on cognitive development

  • Do children’s early activities have an influence on cognitive development, in addition to socio-demographic factors?
  • Do children’s early activities moderate the effect of socio-demographic factors on cognitive development?

Findings

  • Children who experience a wide range of activities such as being read to, singing nursery rhymes and painting, from an early age score higher in cognitive ability tests at age 3 than those with less experience of activities.
  • Children from less advantaged households were less likely to experience a wide range of activities than children from more advantaged households.
  • Experiencing a wide range of activities from an early age does have an impact on cognitive development and can moderate - though by no means eradicate - the effects of socio-demographic disadvantage.

All of the above reports and summary findings documents can be downloaded from the Scottish Government website or from the Growing up in Scotland website.

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