Objective. Despite several large birth cohort studies are under way in Europe, no long term follow-up of newborns has been previously conducted in Italy. We describe the design and the methodology of two Italian birth cohorts. Methods. Newborns were enrolled between June 2003 and October 2004 in Rome, and between June 2004 and December 2005 in Bologna. Baseline information was collected on mothers, fathers and infants using questionnaires and medical records. Infants had clinical examinations at 15 days and again at 15 months and parents were interviewed by phone at 6 and 15 months. Cord blood and maternal blood were collected to extract serum, and the DNA was stored in biological banks for future analyses. Results. Seven hundred and eight newborns were enrolled in Rome and 654 in Bologna. Participation rate was 33.7% in Rome and 23.9% in Bologna, and the overall compliance to follow-up was very high (94.1% at 6 months and 96.9 at 15 months). Conclusions. These two birth cohort studies should be considered as starting point for a national multi-center study that would be the first of its kind in Italy. They will also allow specific hypotheses on the aetiology of childhood diseases to be evaluated.

prospective cohort studies of newborns in Italy to evaluate the role of environmental and genetic characteristics on common chilhood disorders / D.Porta; M.P.Fantini. - In: THE ITALIAN JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS. - ISSN 1824-7288. - ELETTRONICO. - 32:(2006), pp. 350-357.

prospective cohort studies of newborns in Italy to evaluate the role of environmental and genetic characteristics on common chilhood disorders

FANTINI, MARIA PIA
2006

Abstract

Objective. Despite several large birth cohort studies are under way in Europe, no long term follow-up of newborns has been previously conducted in Italy. We describe the design and the methodology of two Italian birth cohorts. Methods. Newborns were enrolled between June 2003 and October 2004 in Rome, and between June 2004 and December 2005 in Bologna. Baseline information was collected on mothers, fathers and infants using questionnaires and medical records. Infants had clinical examinations at 15 days and again at 15 months and parents were interviewed by phone at 6 and 15 months. Cord blood and maternal blood were collected to extract serum, and the DNA was stored in biological banks for future analyses. Results. Seven hundred and eight newborns were enrolled in Rome and 654 in Bologna. Participation rate was 33.7% in Rome and 23.9% in Bologna, and the overall compliance to follow-up was very high (94.1% at 6 months and 96.9 at 15 months). Conclusions. These two birth cohort studies should be considered as starting point for a national multi-center study that would be the first of its kind in Italy. They will also allow specific hypotheses on the aetiology of childhood diseases to be evaluated.
2006
prospective cohort studies of newborns in Italy to evaluate the role of environmental and genetic characteristics on common chilhood disorders / D.Porta; M.P.Fantini. - In: THE ITALIAN JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS. - ISSN 1824-7288. - ELETTRONICO. - 32:(2006), pp. 350-357.
D.Porta; M.P.Fantini
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/45577
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