Methodology of the Pelotas birth cohort study from 1982 to 2004-5, Southern Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Barros, Fernando C
• Data de Publicação: 2008
• Outros Autores: Victora, Cesar G, Horta, Bernardo L, Gigante, Denise P
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; eng
• Título da fonte: Revista de Saúde Pública
• Texto Completo: https://www.revistas.usp.br/rsp/article/view/32527
• topic: Estudos de Coortes; Métodos Epidemiológicos; Métodos e Procedimentos Estatísticos; Desenvolvimento Infantil; Desenvolvimento Humano; Brasil; Estudios de Cohortes; Métodos Epidemiológicos; Métodos y Procedimientos Estadísticos; Desarrollo Infantil; Desarrollo Humano; Brasil; Cohort Studies; Epidemiologic Methods; Statistical Methods and Procedures; Child Development; Human Development; Brasil

OBJECTIVE: To describe the methods employed in the longitudinal and follow-up studies of children born in Pelotas (Southern Brazil) in 1982. METHODS: The cohort began with a perinatal health survey that included all 6,011 children born in maternity wards in Pelotas in 1982. The 5,914 children born alive in the city were included in the follow-up studies. By 2004-5, we had conducted eight follow-ups, which consisted of the administration of questionnaires to mothers and/or cohort members, depending on age, in addition to anthropometric and clinical examination. Cohort subjects are described in terms of demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related variables collected during early follow-up studies, which are used as exposure variables. RESULTS: The majority of subjects in the cohort were followed for 23 years and on multiple occasions. The most successful follow-ups were those preceded by a city census. Using this method, we were able to locate 87.2% of subjects in 1984 (mean age 19 months), 84.1% in 1986 (mean age 43 months), and 77.4% in 2004-5, and 77.4% in 2004-5 (mean age 23 years). CONCLUSIONS: Birth cohort studies can be carried out successfully in developing countries, and the methods employed in this life-cycle study have allowed us to investigate the influence of early exposures in determining disease outcomes in adult life.