Methodological aspects of the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort study

Authors

  • Cesar Gomes Victora Universidade Federal de Pelotas
  • Cora Luiza Pavin Araújo Universidade Federal de Pelotas
  • Ana Maria Batista Menezes Universidade Federal de Pelotas
  • Pedro Curi Hallal Universidade Federal de Pelotas
  • Maria de Fátima Vieira Universidade Federal de Pelotas
  • Marilda Borges Neutzling Universidade Federal de Pelotas
  • Helen Gonçalves Universidade Federal de Pelotas
  • Neiva Cristina Valle Universidade Federal de Pelotas
  • Rosangela Costa Lima Universidade Federal de Pelotas
  • Luciana Anselmi University of London; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Dominique Behague University of London; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Denise Petrucci Gigante Universidade Federal de Pelotas
  • Fernando Celso Barros Centro Latinoamericano de Perinatologia y Desarrollo Humano

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-89102006000100008

Keywords:

Longitudinal studies, Cohort studies, Prospective studies, Child development, Follow-up studies, Epidemiologic methods

Abstract

This paper describes the main methodological aspects of a cohort study, with emphasis on its recent phases, which may be relevant to investigators planning to carry out similar studies. In 1993, a population based study was launched in Pelotas, Southern Brazil. All 5,249 newborns delivered in the city's hospitals were enrolled, and sub-samples were visited at the ages of one, three and six months and of one and four years. In 2004-5 it was possible to trace 87.5% of the cohort at the age of 10-12 years. Sub-studies are addressing issues related to oral health, psychological development and mental health, body composition, and ethnography. Birth cohort studies are essential for investigating the early determinants of adult disease and nutritional status, yet few such studies are available from low and middle-income countries where these determinants may differ from those documented in more developed settings.

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Published

2006-02-01

Issue

Vol. 40 No. 1 (2006)

Section

Original Articles

How to Cite

Victora, C. G., Araújo, C. L. P., Menezes, A. M. B., Hallal, P. C., Vieira, M. de F., Neutzling, M. B., Gonçalves, H., Valle, N. C., Lima, R. C., Anselmi, L., Behague, D., Gigante, D. P., & Barros, F. C. (2006). Methodological aspects of the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort study . Revista De Saúde Pública, 40(1), 39-46. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-89102006000100008