Authors:
Delacy MJ, Louca C, Smithers-Sheedy H, McIntyre S.
Authors notes:
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. 2016;58:60-5.
Keywords:
Residential remoteness, Australian, cerebral palsy, remote
Abstract:
Aim: To determine if families of children with cerebral palsy living in Australia move to less remote areas between birth and 5 years.
Method: Children on the Australian Cerebral Palsy Register (n=3399) born 1996 to 2005, were assigned a remoteness value for family residence at birth and 5 years using a modification of the Australian Statistical Geography Standard.
Each value at birth was subtracted from the value at 5 years yielding a positive difference if they moved more remotely, negative difference if they moved less remotely and a value of zero if they did not move or moved to an equally remote residence.
Results: The small net increase in remoteness across this cohort was non-significant.
Fifty-seven per cent of families changed postcode but only 20% changed remoteness, 11% more remotely, and 9% less remotely.
There was a small trend for families with a child with more impaired gross motor function (Gross Motor Function Classification System levels IV and V) to move to a less remote area.
Interpretation: This cohort of families with children with cerebral palsy did not appear to move to less remote areas by age 5 years.
Remoteness at birth and level of gross motor function seem to have little effect.
What this paper adds: A methodology for transforming Australian Statistical Geography Standard remoteness categories to reflect postcode data.
Overall for this cohort of children with CP there was no suggestion of moving to a less remote residence between birth and 5 years.
This first measure of change in remoteness of a population with CP requires further investigation with a longer period and stratification by gross motor function.