title: The Lifeways Cross-Generation Study: design, recruitment and data management considerations.
abstract: The Lifeways Cross-Generation Cohort Study was first established in 2001 and is a unique longitudinal database in Ireland, with currently over three and a half thousand family participants derived from 1124 mothers recruited initially during pregnancy, mainly during 2002. The database comprises a) baseline self-reported health data for all mothers, a third of fathers and at least one grandparent b) clinical hospital data at recruitment, c) three year follow-up data from the families' General Practitioners, and d) linkage to hospital and vaccination databases. Data collection for the five-year follow-up with parents is underway, continuing through 2007. Because there is at present no single national/regional health information system in Ireland, original data instruments were designed to capture data directly from family members and through their hospitals and healthcare providers. A system of relational databases was designed to coordinate data capture for a complex array of study instruments and to facilitate tracking of family members at different time points.
authors.affiliation: UCD School of Public Health and Population Science. deirdre.omahony@ucd.ie
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: O'Mahony
authors.forename: U B
authors.initials: UB
authors.lastname: Fallon
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hannon
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kloeckner
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Avalos
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Kelleher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003628:Database Management Systems; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005192:Family Health; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011446:Prospective Studies; D040442:Public Health Informatics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data