These researchers analysed data from 252,273 New Zealand children who completed a B4 School Check over 4 years, from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2015. The study aimed to determine characteristics associated with non-participation in this universal preschool health screen. The study grouped the B4 School Check into 3 components: vision and hearing test (VHT) checks; nurse checks (height, weight, oral health, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ] and parental evaluation of development status); and SDQ-Teacher check. Participation rates varied for each component of the B4 School Check (in 2014/2015, completion was highest at 91.8% for vision and hearing tests, followed by 87.2% for nurse checks and 62.1% for the SDQ-T), although participation rates for all components increased over time. The checks were less likely to be completed by Māori and Pacific children than by non-Māori and non-Pacific children (for VHTs: Māori: OR 0.60; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.58; Pacific: 0.58; 0.60 to 0.56; for nurse checks: Māori: 0.63; 0.64 to 0.61; Pacific: 0.67; 0.69 to 0.65; and for SDQ-T: Māori: OR 0.76; 0.78 to 0.75; Pacific: 0.37; 0.38 to 0.36). Other characteristics that predicted a lower likelihood of participation in the B4 School Check included living in socioeconomically deprived areas, having younger mothers, living in rented homes and in larger households, having worse health status and living with higher rates of residential mobility, compared with children who completed the B4 School Check.
