Developing an index of adolescent deprivation for use in British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

A population-level adolescent health survey has been a reliable source of information about the health and well-being of 12–19-year-olds in Western Canada since its introduction in 1992. However, the survey has never accurately measured child poverty, partially due to the complex social and geographical make-up of the region. The current study sought to adapt a model for developing a child-centric index of material deprivation which had been successfully used in the UK. To develop the BC Youth Deprivation Index, 25 focus groups, including three youth-led groups, were held with 300 adolescents aged 12–19 in urban, semi-urban, rural, and remote communities in each of the province’s five regions (North, Interior, Fraser, Vancouver Coastal, and Island). Participants in the focus groups created a 10-item index of the material items adolescents felt they needed in order to belong. The draft index was piloted with 297 BC adolescents aged 12–19. The index demonstrated good internal reliability and was correlated with measures of food insecurity and subjective well-being. The finalised index was completed by over 38,000 adolescents, and is available to policy makers and practitioners. The study outcomes support the value of meaningfully engaging young people in the process of measurement development.