Bt30: DOHaD and COHORTS

Description

The Birth to Thirty (Bt30) study in Soweto is Africa’s largest and longest-running birth cohort study. It is colloquially nicknamed “Mandela’s Children” because the study started with children born just after Nelson Mandela was released from prison. The study intends to keep working with and tracking these families, whose lives span South Africa’s democratic transition. The first data collection round in 1989/1990 asked the still-pregnant mothers about the conditions of their pregnancy. Data was collected at birth and six months and then on a yearly basis, an enormous feat over 32-plus years.

This webinar was the last in a series of seven, sharing the research findings and lessons from this remarkable cohort study.

Two of the most impactful offshoots of the Bt30 study have been the DOHaD and COHORTS streams of research. DOHaD refers to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease and COHORTS to the Consortium of Health-Orientated Research in Transitioning Societies.

This extended double-webinar looked at both of these work streams. The speakers discussed findings on how early life can influence health and vulnerability to disease in later life and what can be achieved when 5 LMIC cohort studies come together. The series then rounded up with a Q&A session covering all aspects of the Bt30 study.