Cohort Profile: The 1982 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of exposure occurring during pregnancy or the fi rst years of life on blood pressure. METHODS: Cohort study on all children born in 1982 in maternity hospitals in the city of Pelotas, Southern Brazil. The mothers living in the urban area were interviewed and the children were followed up on different occasions. In 2004-5, all the individuals in the cohort were sought for monitoring. Their blood pressure was measured twice, at the start and end of the interview, using a digital wrist sphygmomanometer. Associations between blood pressure and the following variables were evaluated: skin color; maternal schooling level; family income at birth; change in income between birth and 23 years of age; birth weight; and duration of breastfeeding. Analysis of variance was used to compare the means and a generalized linear model was used in the adjusted analysis. RESULTS: Blood pressure measurements were obtained from 4,291 individuals: 2,208 males and 2,083 females. The mean systolic blood pressure was 117.5 ± 15.0 mmHg and the mean diastolic was 73.6 ± 11.5 mmHg. Among the men, systolic blood pressure was higher among those of black or brown skin color and among those who were never considered poor. Diastolic pressure was only associated with birth weight. Among the women, systolic blood pressure was greater among those of black or brown skin color whose mothers' schooling level was greater than or equal to 12 years or whose birth weight was less than 4,000 g. CONCLUSIONS: For both sexes, only skin color was associated with blood pressure. Breastfeeding did not have any long-term effect on blood pressure and the associations for birth weight and socioeconomic level were inconsistent.

Growth patterns in early childhood and the onset of menarche before age twelve

“…It could be argued that these studies did not take into account the year of birth, also known as the cohort effect. 18 The 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study 24,25 provided good quality of data to the present study. However, there are some limitations: no data on length measurement at birth and no follow-up near menarche age for all girls.…”

“…The cohort subjects have been followed up in several studies and detailed information are available elsewhere. 24,25 The present study included 2,084 women with information on menarche. One subject was excluded due to a uterine tumor; thus the final sample comprised 2,083 women.…”

Effect of a nutrition intervention during early childhood on economic productivity in Guatemalan adults

“…16 With a conservative defi nition of attrition or loss-to-follow-up that regards deaths as cases lost-to-follow-up, attrition for the collection of economic data was 40·5% (40·6% in atole villages, 40·3% from fresco villages). If instead, we assume that deaths were traced and thus part of the numerator, an approach followed by some researchers, 18 the attrition rate was 29·0% (28·2% for atole and 29·9% for fresco). These rates are similar to those reported in other cohort studies in developing countries, most of which had shorter follow-up periods.…”

Evolução do excesso de peso e obesidade até a idade adulta, Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, 1982-2012

“…Esses indivíduos têm sido acompanhados desde então, e informações sobre a metodologia do estudo estão disponíveis em outras publicações 9,10 .…”