Improving the inclusion and participation of children and adolescents with a migration background in KiGGS Wave 2

In the context of health monitoring at the Robert Koch Institute, the baseline study of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) surveyed a sample of children and adolescents with a migration background according to their share within the general population through extensive measures. Owing to less comprehensive efforts, this was not accomplished in the follow-up KiGGS Wave 1 study. For KiGGS Wave 2, the objective therefore was, through targeted measures, to increase the willingness of children and adolescents with a migration background to participate in the survey. This article describes the approaches to include children and adolescents with a migration background, the operationalisation of migration-specific variables and the effectiveness of field visits prior to the actual survey as a tool to increase the willingness of these groups to participate in the survey. Furthermore, data on participation and the sample of children and adolescents with a migration background in the cross-sectional KiGGS Wave 2 study is presented. Overall, 2,994 children with a migration background aged 0 to 17 years took part in KiGGS Wave 2. In the weighted sample this corresponds to 11.8% (n=1,436) with a one-sided and 17.0% (n=1,558) with a two-sided migration background. In sum, the share of children and adolescents surveyed with a migration background (28.8%) is almost that of their share in Microcensus 2013 (31.2%). Compared to children and adolescents without a migration background, barely any differences exist in age and gender distribution, while differences are seen regarding social status; children with a two-sided migration background are significantly more often found in the low social status group. In the sample, the most often represented countries of origin were the countries of Central and South Europe, of the former Soviet Union and Turkey. Regarding the length of time parents had lived in Germany, around 40.1% of migrant families have been living in the country for over 20 years, whereas nearly one in five families has been in Germany for less than five years. A total of 12.2% of children and adolescents with a migration background migrated themselves. By implementing a comprehensive set of measures, the degree after weighting to which children and adolescents with a migration background were included in KiGGS Wave 2 is nearly commensurate to their share in the overall population.