IJE Advance Access originally published online on October 4, 2005
International Journal of Epidemiology 2006 35(1):49-54; doi:10.1093/ije/dyi201
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Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association © The Author 2005; all rights reserved.
Article |
Cohort Profile: The 1946 National Birth Cohort (MRC National Survey of Health and Development)
MRC National Survey of Health and Development, Royal Free and UCL Medical School, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 6BT, UK
* Corresponding author. E-mail: m.wadsworth@nshd.mrc.ac.uk
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
| How did the study come about? |
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The first of the British National Birth Cohort studies aimed to address two health and social policy questions of importance in the years before the establishment of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1948. The first question, identified by the Royal Commission on Population, asked why the national fertility rate had been falling consistently since the middle of the 19th century. A proposed explanation was that the medical and other costs associated with the birth of a baby may today be a serious deterrent to parenthood.1 The second question asked what was the national distribution and use of obstetric medical and midwifery services, and how far do they prevent premature and infant death, and promote the health of mothers and infants?1
The study set up to address these questions was promoted by the Royal College of Obstetricians and the Population Investigation Committee, and funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the
| What does it cover? |
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| Who is in the sample? |
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| How often have they been followed-up? |
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| What has been measured? |
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| Attrition |
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| Key findings and publications |
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Findings and publications during the years before adulthood
Findings and publications during the adult years
| Strengths |
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| The study in retrospect |
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| The data source |
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