Volume 1 – 5-Month-Old Infants

Number 1 – Survey: Description and Methodology

The goal of ELDEQ 1998-2002, a 5-year longitudinal survey, is to gain a better understanding of child development in Québec from 0 to 5 years of age. This publication is the first in a series of 12 analytical papers comprising Volume 1, in which selected results of the first year of data collected on 5-month-old infants are presented. The longitudinal survey will be covered in 3 volumes of analytical papers.

This first paper comprises a detailed description of the survey -longitudinal monitoring, collection instruments, topics investigated and response rates. The first year of the study, 1998, is also described from a methodological and statistical perspective - target population and sample frame, sample design and stratification, sample size and distribution, response rates, weighting, poststratification and analytical methods.

Volume 1, Number 1 is an indispensable tool for a clear reading of the data presented in all subsequent papers in this series. It is designed to help the reader interpret the results and understand the process which generated them.