title: Methodological aspects of the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study.
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.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. cvictora@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Cesar Gomes
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Victora
authors.forename: Cora Luiza Pavin
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.forename: Ana Maria Batista
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: Pedro Curi
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hallal
authors.forename: Maria de Fátima
authors.initials: Mde F
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.forename: Marilda Borges
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Neutzling
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.forename: Neiva Cristina
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Valle
authors.forename: Rosangela Costa
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Anselmi
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Behague
authors.forename: Denise Petrucci
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Gigante
authors.forename: Fernando Celso
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Barros
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012107:Research Design