Table 1. Cough questions used in the Leicester Respiratory Cohort studies.

	Source of the question
Coughing more than peers	Robertson et al. Prevalence of asthma in Melbourne schoolchildren: changes over 26 years. BMJ 1991 [22]
Do you think that your child coughs more than other children? □ yes □ no
Cough with colds	Ferris BG. Epidemiology Standardization Project (American Thoracic Society). Am Rev Respir Dis 1978 [16]
Does your child usually have a cough with colds? □ yes □ no
Cough apart from colds	Ferris BG. Epidemiology Standardization Project (American Thoracic Society). Am Rev Respir Dis 1978 [16]
Does your child have a cough even without having a cold? □ no, never □ yes, sometimes □ yes, always
Night cough	Asher et al. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC): rationale and methods. Eur Respir J 1995 [14]
In the last 12 months, has your child had a dry cough at night, apart from a cough associated with a cold or a chest infection? □ yes □ no
Cough triggers	Newly developed. Strippoli. A parent-completed respiratory questionnaire for 1-year-old children: repeatability. Arch Dis Child 2007 [21]
In the last 12 months, did the following things cause your child to cough? □ Exercise (playing, running) □ Laughing, crying □ House dust □ Pollen (grass, hay, trees, flowers) □ Contact with pets or other animals □ Food or drinks