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Review
. 2020:54:48.
doi: 10.11606/s1518-8787.2020054001825. Epub 2020 May 20.

Brazilian cohorts with potential for life-course studies: a scoping review

[Article in English, Portuguese]
Waleska Regina Machado Araujo  1 , Iná S Santos  2 , Naercio Aquino Menezes Filho  3 , Maria Thereza Costa Coelho de Souza  4 , Antonio Jose Ledo Alves da Cunha  5 , Alicia Matijasevich  6
Affiliations
Review

Brazilian cohorts with potential for life-course studies: a scoping review

[Article in English, Portuguese]
Waleska Regina Machado Araujo et al. Rev Saude Publica. 2020.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

OBJECTIVE To identify the Brazilian cohorts that started either in the prenatal period or at birth, to describe their characteristics and the explored variables, and to map the cohorts with potential for studies on early determinants on health and the risk of falling ill on later stages of the life cycle. METHODS A scoping review was carried out. The articles were searched in the electronic databases PubMed and Virtual Health Library (VHL). The descriptors used were [((("Child" OR "Child, Preschool" OR "Infant" OR "Infant, Newborn") AND (Cohort Studies" OR "Longitudinal Studies")) AND "Brazil")]. The inclusion criteria were Brazilian cohorts that started the baseline in the prenatal period or at birth and with at least two follow-ups with the participants. In order to meet the concept of LCE, we excluded those cohorts whose follow-ups were restricted to the first year of life, as well as those that did not address biological, behavioral and psychosocial aspects, and cohorts with data collection of a single stage of the life cycle. RESULTS The search step identified 5,010 articles. Eighteen cohorts were selected for descriptive synthesis. The median number of baseline participants was 2,000 individuals and the median age at the last follow-up was 9 years. Sample loss at the last follow-up ranged from 9.2 to 87.5%. Most cohorts monitored two phases of the life cycle (the perinatal period and childhood). The Southern region had the highest number of cohorts. The main variables collected were sociodemographic and environmental aspects of the family, morbidity aspects, nutritional practices and lifestyle. CONCLUSIONS We recommend the continuity of these cohorts, the approach to different social contexts and the performance of follow-ups with participants in different phases of the life cycle for the strengthening and expansion of life course epidemiology analyses in Brazil.

OBJETIVO: Identificar as coortes brasileiras iniciadas no período pré-natal ou no nascimento, descrever suas características e as variáveis exploradas, além de mapear as coortes com potencial para se estudar os determinantes precoces de saúde e doença e o risco de adoecer em etapas posteriores do ciclo vital.

MÉTODOS: Realizou-se uma revisão de escopo. A busca dos artigos foi realizada nas bases de dados PubMed e Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde em 16 de junho de 2018. Os descritores utilizados foram [(((“Child” OR “Child, Preschool” OR “Infant” OR “Infant, Newborn”) AND (“Cohort Studies” OR “Longitudinal Studies”)) AND “Brazil”)]. Os critérios de inclusão foram coortes brasileiras que iniciaram a linha de base no período pré-natal ou no nascimento e com pelo menos dois acompanhamentos com os participantes. Foram excluídas as coortes cujos acompanhamentos foram restritos ao primeiro ano de vida, as que não abordaram aspectos biológicos, comportamentais e psicossociais e também aquelas com coleta de informações em um único estágio do ciclo vital.

RESULTADOS: A etapa de busca identificou 5.010 artigos. Foram selecionadas 18 coortes para a síntese descritiva. A mediana do número de participantes na linha de base foi 2.000 indivíduos e a mediana de idade no último acompanhamento foi 9 anos. A perda amostral no último acompanhamento variou de 9,2 a 87,5%. A maioria das coortes realizou acompanhamentos em duas fases do ciclo vital (período perinatal e infância). A região Sul contemplou o maior número de coortes. As principais variáveis coletadas foram sociodemográficas e ambientais da família, aspectos de morbidade, práticas alimentares e estilo de vida dos participantes.

CONCLUSÕES: Recomenda-se a continuidade dessas coortes, a abordagem de diferentes contextos sociais e a realização de acompanhamentos com os participantes em diferentes fases do ciclo vital para o fortalecimento e ampliação das análises de epidemiologia do ciclo vital no Brasil.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flowchart of the search stage of the article selection in the systematic review.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Variables collected by the selected cohorts in each phase of the life cycle.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Map of Brazil with geographical distribution of the selected cohorts.
Figura 1
Figura 1. Fluxograma da etapa de busca de seleção de artigos da revisão sistemática.
Figura 2
Figura 2. Variáveis coletadas pelas coortes selecionadas em cada fase do ciclo vital.
Figura 3
Figura 3. Mapa do Brasil com distribuição geográfica das coortes selecionadas.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

Funding. WRMA received support from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) through a doctorate scholarship (Process 001/2017).
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