Table 1.
Characteristics of the six birth cohorts
| Study | Cohort inception | Who was enrolled? | Age (years) at the latest adult examination and number* of women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pelotas Birth Cohort, Brazil |
1982 |
All hospital births in the city. All social classes. |
30 (1737) |
| Pelotas Birth Cohort, Brazil |
1993 |
All hospital births in the city. All social classes. |
22 (1661) |
| INCAP Nutrition Trial Cohort, Guatemala |
1969–77 |
Nutrition trial in 4 villages. Rural, poor. |
40–57 (596) |
| Cebu Longitudinal Health & Nutrition Survey, Philippines |
1983–84 |
33 randomly selected communities of Metro Cebu; 75% urban. All social classes. |
34 (481) |
| Birth to 30, South Africa | 1990 | Soweto, Johannesburg. Predominantly urban poor, ‘Black’. | 28 (475) |
*Sample sizes reflect the number of participants with information on all outcome variables used in principal components analysis.