title: Preparation, piloting and validation for a longitudinal birth cohort study.
abstract: No longitudinal study should go into the field prior to detailed piloting and validation studies of the measures and techniques to be used. Preparation should also involve the training of staff, the acquisition of space and appropriate equipment, and liaison with the community and ethical committees as well as with scientific collaborators. Because different measures will continually be introduced as the participants age, the preparation, piloting and validation studies have to be ongoing. Here we describe some of the different strategies that should be used.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Child and Adolescent Health, Department of Community Based Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. jean.golding@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Golding
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D033161:Government Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012107:Research Design; D054928:Validation Studies as Topic