At A Glance
Noteworthy Characteristics
Website
Purpose
Beginning with the baseline interviews in 1998-2000, the core study was originally designed to primarily address four questions of great interest to researchers and policy makers: (1) What are the conditions and capabilities of unmarried parents, especially fathers?; (2) What is the nature of the relationships between unmarried parents?; (3) How do children born into these families fare?; and (4) How do policies and environmental conditions affect families and children?
Target Population
The Future of Families & Child Wellbeing Study follows a cohort of 4,898 children born in the U.S. between 1998 and 2000 and includes an over-sample of non-marital births. The sample includes children born in twenty large, U.S. cities (defined as populations of 200,000 or more). Sixteen of the twenty cities were selected using a stratified random sample of U.S. cities with populations of 200,000 or more grouped according to their policy environments and labor market conditions. These cities comprise the nationally-representative sample.
Conducted
The Future of Families & Child Wellbeing Study was initiated in 1998 and is ongoing with the latest data being from 2020.
Sponsor
The Future of Families & Child Wellbeing Core Study is funded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (R01-HD-036916), The Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The collaborative projects are funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Princeton University Center for Health and Wellbeing, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Justice, National Institute of Mental Health, and National Institute on Minoirty Health and Health Disparities.
Sampling
Sample Design
The Future of Families & Child Wellbeing Study follows a cohort of 4,898 children born in the U.S. between 1998 and 2000 and includes an over-sample of non-marital births. When weighted, the data are representative of births in large US cities. This national study uses a stratified random sample of all US cities with 200,000 or more people. The stratification was not geographic;
rather, it was according to policy environments and labor market conditions in the different cities. The sampling occurred in three stages: First sampled cities; then sampled hospitals within cities, and finally, sampled births within hospitals.
Source of Information
https://ffcws.princeton.edu/about#collabprojects
Sample Size
The Future of Families & Child Wellbeing Study consists of 4,898 children born in the U.S. between 1998 and 2000.
Key Variables
Demographic
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Questionnaire |
| Education level of mother and father | Questionnaire |
| Employment history: mother and father | Questionnaire |
| Family composition/ structure: single mother, father presence, number of children | Questionnaire |
| Health insurance coverage type | Questionnaire |
| Home ownership vs. Renting | Questionnaire |
| Hours of work: mother and father | Questionnaire |
| Housing type | Questionnaire |
| Income of mother and father | Questionnaire |
| Length of residence | Questionnaire |
| Marital status | Questionnaire |
| Public assistance program enrollment: public assistance, welfare, food stamps | Questionnaire |
| Race/ethnicity of mother and father | Questionnaire |
| Unemployment for mother and father | Questionnaire |
| Wages/salary for mother and father | Questionnaire |
| Disabilities | Questionnaire |
| Housing Adequacy | Questionnaire |
Diet-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Breastfeeding cessation (age of child) | Questionnaire |
| Breastfeeding/formula status | Questionnaire |
| Cost of meal | Questionnaire |
| Food expenditure for food eaten away from home | Questionnaire |
| Frequency of eating out (fast food, take out) | Questionnaire |
| Parental/family eating rules | Questionnaire |
| Intake of alcoholic beverages | Questionnaire |
| Impact of food insecurity (did not eat, economic hardship) | Questionnaire |
| Participation in public assistance programs | Questionnaire |
| Grocery store travel | Questionnaire |
| Type of stores available | Questionnaire |
Physical Activity-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Frequency of outdoor recreational activities (walking, hiking, kayaking) | Questionnaire |
| Amount of screen time: playing computer or video games | Questionnaire |
| Neighborhood safety (i.e., crime rates) | Questionnaire |
| Perceptions of neighborhood (i.e., safety, walkability) | Questionnaire |
Sleep-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Naps | Actigraphy |
| Sleep continuity: Sleep latency | Actigraphy |
| Sleep continuity: Total time asleep while in bed (sleep efficiency) | Actigraphy |
| Sleep continuity: Total time awake after sleep onset | Actigraphy |
| Sleep disturbances and quality: Trouble falling back asleep at night | Questionnaire |
| Trouble falling asleep | Questionnaire |
| Sleep disturbances and quality: other sleep related behaviors | Questionnaire |
| Sleep duration and quantity: Total sleep time during weekends/holidays | Actigraphy |
| Sleep duration and quantity: Total sleep time during workdays/schooldays | Actigraphy |
| Sleep duration and quantity: total sleep time | Actigraphy |
| Sleep timing and regularity: Midpoint of sleep | Actigraphy |
| Sleep timing and regularity: Regularity of bedtime | Questionnaire |
| Sleep timing and regularity: Sleep timing on weekends/holidays | Actigraphy |
| Sleep timing and regularity: Sleep timing on workdays/schooldays | Actigraphy |
| Sleep timing and regularity: Time to bed | Questionnaire |
| Sleep timing and regularity: Time woke up | Actigraphy |
| Sleep-related policies: Housing policies that impact the sleep environment | Questionnaire |
| Sleep-related substance use: Use of sleep aids | Questionnaire |
| Social determinants of health: Perceived safety of neighborhood and house at night | Questionnaire |
| Social sleep environment: Family sleep behaviors (bedtime routine) | Questionnaire |
| Social sleep environment: Shared bedroom/bed | Questionnaire |
| Social sleep environment: Sleep location | Questionnaire |
Weight-Related
| Name | Methods of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Weight of child | Questionnaire |
| Weight of mother (pre-pregnancy and current) | Questionnaire |
Data Access and Cost
Data Availability
Currently, Baseline, Year 1, Year 3, Year 5, Year 9 and Year 15 public data are available through the Princeton University Office of Population Research (OPR) data archive.
Cost
All public-use data are available free of charge.
Geocode/Linkage
Geocode Variable(s)
State and selected city.
Existing Linkages
N/A
