Almost one in three Australian children experience some form of disadvantage, according to a new study released on Friday.
The Changing Children's Chances research project measured different types of disadvantage - such as health conditions and geographic environments - among a pool of 5,000 children.
It said that such disadvantages had a "long-lasting impact" on critical childhood development such as interpersonal and motor skills, literacy and numeracy.
The study found that 41 per cent of children who had experienced disadvantage were in the bottom 15 per cent of NAPLAN literacy and numeracy test scores.
It specifically said that living in a neighbourhood lacking in amenities, such as local parks, libraries, and good quality early education and primary schools, had negative long-term impacts.
Co-author of the study Dr Hannah Badland from the RMIT Centre for Urban Research said Australians should reframe how we think about disadvantage.
"When people hear the word disadvantaged they often think about how wealthy someone is, how much power they have, how much prestige they have," she said.
"For children, disadvantage manifests in the circumstances in which they live, learn and develop."
"Those who started out in the most advantaged neighbourhoods, became more advantaged over time, while those who started in most disadvantaged neighbourhoods became more disadvantaged," Dr Badland said.
"The good news is that it may be easier to change our neighbourhood environments - something as simple as building a library or safe open spaces all have excellent benefits for a child's development."
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