Table 1. Characteristics of Included Studies Grouped by Recruitment Age.
| Study name | Study design | Demographics | Recruitment | Sample size | Aims | Data Collection | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environments for Health Living Griffith Birth Cohort Study | Repeated sample prospective longitudinal birth cohort | Location: South East Queensland, Northern New South Wales, Australia. Year & status: 2006; Ongoing | Period: 4 months of the year over 5 years. Age of: Antenatal | Initial total: 2879 Mothers: 2879 Babies: 2904 Partners: 2879 | To study the social and environmental factors, neighbourhood and family functioning, maternal lifestyle and in utero exposures on child health and development outcomes. | Waves & Ages: 5; Antenatal, birth, 1,3,5 y. Retention rate: N/A | [31, 32] |
| Generation 1 Cohort | Prospective, longitudinal birth cohort | Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Year & status: 1998; Ongoing | Period: 24 months. Age of: Antenatal | Initial total:557 Mothers: 557 Babies: 557 Partners: Not stated | To study early life influences on obesity and fat patterning in children: critical periods, environmental determinants, and socio-cultural context. | Waves & Ages: 8; Antenatal, 6,9,12 m, 2,3.5,5.5 y Retention rate: 72% at 9 y | [33–35] |
| Growing up in New Zealand | Prospective, longitudinal birth cohort | Location: Auckland, North Island, New Zealand. Year & status: 2009; Ongoing | Period: 12 months. Age of: Antenatal | Initial total: 6822 Mothers: 6822 Babies: 6846 Partners:4404 | To study outcomes and developmental trajectories to identify the main causal pathways across multiple levels of influence (political, social, cultural, intergenerational, familial and individual). | Waves & Ages:– 7; Antenatal, 6, 35 w, 9,12,16,23,24, 31, 4 y; then ongoing to 21 y Retention rate: 99% at 9 m | [36–38] |
| Peri/postnatal Epigenetic Study | Longitudinal Twin birth cohort | Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Year & status: 2007; Ongoing | Period: 32 months. Age of: Antenatal | Initial total: 287 Mothers: 250 Babies: 500 Partners - | To understand how adverse intrauterine environment predisposes individual to complex disease in later life. | Waves & Ages:– 5; 3 antenatal, birth, 18 m Retention rate: 97% 18 m | [39, 40] |
| Port Pirie Cohort Study–Birth to Now study | Prospective birth cohort | Location: Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia. Year & status: 1979; Ongoing | Period: 36 months. Age of: Antenatal | Initial total: 831 Mothers: 723 Babies: 723 Partners - | Original–To study the effects of lead exposure in utero and during childhood on later behaviour and development. Current–Long term follow-up of cohort with a focus on health, well-being, personality, emotions, behaviour and life experiences. | Waves & Ages:– 13; 2 antenatal, birth, 6,15 m, 2,3,4,5,6,7, 12, 28 y Retention rate: 47% at 28 y | [41–45] |
| Splash | Prospective birth cohort | Location: Barwon, Victoria, Australia. Year & status: 2012; Emerging | Period: N/A. Age of: Antenatal | Initial total: N/A Mothers: Aim for 500 Babies: Aim for 500 Partners: N/A | To study the impact of environmental, social and family level influences in child oral health and obesity risk factors. | Waves & Ages:–Antenatal, 6, 12,24,36,48 m planned Retention rate: N/A | [46] |
| The Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy | Prospective birth cohort | Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Year & status: 1981; Ongoing | Period: 36 months. Age of: Antenatal | Initial total:8458 Mothers: 7631 Babies: 7223 Partners:522 | Original–To study the impact of social, obstetric factors and psychological factor on pregnancy outcomes. Current—To study health, growth, development, learning and behaviour of children and young adult. | Waves & Ages:– 7; antenatal; 4d, 6m, 5,14,21 y 30 y underway. Retention rate: 53% at 21y | [47–49] |
| The NZ Asthma and Allergy Cohort Study | Prospective birth cohort | Location: Christchurch and Wellington, New Zealand. Year & status: 1997; Ongoing | Period: 36 months. Age of: Antenatal | Initial total:1105 Mothers: 1095 Babies 1105 Partners: N/A | To study the environmental and genetic factors associated with the development of atopy, allergic disease and asthma. | Waves & Ages:– 8; Birth, 3,15,24,36,48,60 m, 6.5 y. Retention rate: 91% at 15 m | [50, 51] |
| The Raine Study | Randomised Controlled Trial, ongoing cohort followed | Location: Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Year & status: 1989; Ongoing | Period: 30 months. Age of: Antenatal | Initial total: 2900 Mothers: 2900 Babies 2868 Partners: 2804 | Original—To test the hypothesis that complications of pregnancy might be prevented by frequent ultrasound, and to develop a long-term cohort to study the effects of early life events on later health. Current—To understand how events during pregnancy, as well as childhood and adolescence affect later health and development. | Waves & Ages:– 14; 2 antenatal, 2 d,1,2,3,5,8,10,14,17, 18,21,23 y Retention rate: 82% at 14 y | [52–56] |
| Triple B Study: Bumps, Babies and Beyond | Prospective birth cohort | Location: Sydney, New South Wales and Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Year & status: 2009; Ongoing | Period: 36 months. Age of: Antenatal | Initial total:1619 Mothers: 1619 Babies 1599 Partners: 852 | To study the effects of substance use in pregnant women and their partners during the prenatal period on infant development and family functioning. | Waves & Ages:– 4; Antenatal, 8 w, 12 m, 3 y Retention rate: N/A | [57] |
| Watch Study | Prospective longitudinal cohort | Location: Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Year & status: 2006; Ongoing | Period: 18 months. Age of: Antenatal | Initial total:180 Mothers: 180 Babies 182 Partners: 82 | To study whether maternal nutritional and hormonal factors are important predictors of offspring outcomes such as growth, body composition and childhood cognition. | Waves & Ages:– 11; 19,24,30,36 w antenatal; 3,6,9,12 m, 2,3,4, y Retention rate: 74% at 2 y | [58] |
| Aboriginal Birth Cohort | Prospective longitudinal birth cohort | Location: Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Year & status: 1987; Ongoing | Period: 38 months. Age of: Birth | Initial totala: 686 Mothers: 686 Babies 686 (includes subset) Partners: N/A | Original–To study the effects of foetal growth restriction on subsequent growth and development of chronic diseases in adulthood. Current–Effect of early life factors, birth and childhood, on later physical and mental health. | Waves & Ages: 4 waves–Birth, 11.4 y, 18.4 y, 25 y currently underway. Retention rate: 68% at 18.4 y | [59, 60] |
| Adelaide Nutrition Study | Prospective birth cohort | Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Year & status: 1975; Completed | Period: 8 months. Age of: Birth | Initial total: 500 Mothers: 267 Babies 200, 123 additional children at 11 y. Partners 219 | To examine cardiovascular risk factors from birth. | Waves & Ages: 13 waves–Birth, 3,6,12 m, 2, 4,6,8,11,13,15, 17, 20 y. Retention rate: 50% at 20 y | [61–64] |
| Adelaide Respiratory Cohort | Prospective birth cohort | Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. Year & status: 1987; Completed | Period: 12 months. Age of: Birth | Initial total: 1981 Mothers: 836 Babies 836 Partners: 573 | To study the origin of respiratory diseases in children. | Waves & Ages: 6 waves–Birth, 5,12,18,24 m, 9 y. Retention rate: 83% | [65, 66] |
| Christchurch Health and Development Study | Prospective birth cohort | Location: Christchurch, New Zealand. Year & status: 1977; Ongoing | Period: 6 months. Age of: Birth | Initial total:1310 Mothers: 1251 Babies 1265 Partners: N/A | To study the health, education and life progress of children born in Christchurch across infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood. | Waves & Ages: 22 waves–Birth, 4 m,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 10,11,12,13,14,15,16,18,21, 25, 30, 35 y. Retention rate: 80% at 30 y | [67, 68] |
| Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study | Prospective, longitudinal birth cohort | Location: Dunedin, New Zealand. Year & status: 1972; Ongoing | Period: 12 months. Age of: Birth | Initial total:1661 Mothers: 1037 Babies 1037 Partners: 753 | Original: To study the health and development across the first 3 years of life. This initial aim was expanded to include health and development across childhood, adolescence and adulthood. | Waves & Ages: 13 waves–Birth, 3 5,7,9,11,13,15,18,21, 26, 32, 38 y. Planned 44, 50 y. Retention rate: 96% at 32 y | [67, 69–72] |
| Gudaga Study | Prospective, longitudinal, birth cohort | Location: Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia. Year & status: 2005; Ongoing | Period: 18 months. Age of: Birth | Initial total: 2108 (surveyed) Mothers: 155 Babies 155 Partners: | To study the health, development and service usage of Aboriginal infants and their mothers. | Waves & Ages:– 6; Birth, 2.5 w, 6 m, 1,3,5 y. Retention rate: 86% at 12 m | [73, 74] |
| Nepean Study/ Nepean Kids Growing Up Study | Birth cohort | Location: Penrith, New South Wales, Australia. Year & status: 1989; Completed | Period: 9 months. Age of: Birth | Initial total: 2508 Mothers: 2314 Babies 2314 Partners: 293 | Original–to investigate the effects of birth size, body size and genes on blood pressure and bone density. Current—to explore foetal and mid-childhood influences, including family environment, on body composition, including bone and metabolic risk. | Waves & Ages:– 5; Birth, 6 m, 7.5, 12.5, 15 y. Retention rate: Not stated | [75–79] |
| Pacific Islander Families | Prospective, longitudinal, birth cohort | Location: Auckland, North Island, New Zealand. Year & status: 2000; Ongoing | Period:9 months. Age of: Birth | Initial total: 1590 Mothers: 1376 Babies 1398 Partners: 825 | To study the factors associated with child health and development outcomes and family functioning of Pacific Islander families. | Waves & Ages:– 6; 6 w, 1,2,4,6, 9 y. 11 y planned. Retention rate:77% at 2 y | [80, 81] |
| Tasmanian Infant Health Study | A scoring system identified children at higher risk of SIDS for possible participation in TIHS | Location: Tasmania, Australia. Year & status: 1998; Ongoing | Period: 24 months. Age of: Birth | Initial total: 1500a Mothers: 1433 Babies 1435 Partners: N/A | Original: To investigate the cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Current—To study links between early life exposures and later disease. | Waves & Ages:– 5; Birth, 5, 10 w, 7.5, 16 y. Retention rate: 415 at 16 y | [55, 82–86] |
| Brunswick Family Study | Longitudinal, birth Cohort | Location: Brunswick, Victoria, Australia. Year & status: 1978; Completed | Period: 6 months. Age of: 6 weeks | Initial total: 304 Mothers: 304 Babies 272 Partners: N/A | To study the prevalence and patterns of illness and behavioural disturbances in infants. | Waves & Ages: - 5; 6,27,44 w, 4, 11 y. Retention rate: Unknown | [87] |
| Plunket National Child Health Study | Prospective longitudinal cohort | Location: New Zealand, national. Year & status: 1990; completed | Period: 12 months. Age of: 6 weeks | Initial total: 4285 Mothers: 4285 Babies 4285 Partners: Unknown | To study community child health, maternal health behaviour, parental attitudes, child safety, nutrition and morbidity. | Waves & Ages:– 9; 6 w, 3,6,9,12, 18m, 2,3,4 y. Retention rate: Unknown | [88] |
| VicGen | Prospective birth cohort | Location: Metropolitan and regional and rural Victoria, Australia. Year & status: 2010; Emerging | Period: 72 months. Age of: 4 weeks | Initial total: 466 Mothers: 466 Babies 466 Partners: N/A | To study the natural history of early childhood caries including the prevalence of the disease, risk and protective factors | Waves & Ages:– 1,6,12,18, 36,48, 60, 72m. Retention rate: N/A | [89] |
| Total | Initial total: 44,071 b Mothers: 38,600 Babies 38,390 Partners:14,206 |
a Data available on 8729 mothers and 10569 babies, follow up study with 1500
b Initial total is generally the number of mothers whose data was collected and from that point onwards, some or all were invited to participate in a follow-up study.