The Finnish 1987-90 Birth Cohort

We examine how preterm birth and maternal pregnancy disorders predict the health, well-being and societal achievements of the offspring from childhood to adulthood.

The study is a part of NORDCAP research project. On this page we describe the Finnish 1987-1990 Birth Cohort register study. The project also includes a Nordic part that examines health and wellbeing, and factors associated with health and wellbeing, of children and adults born preterm in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark (link). Both studies only include register data.

Objectives

The current areas of focus within our multidisciplinary research project are: risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, respiratory health, allergies and autoimmune diseases, susceptibility to infections as well as bone health and risk of fractures. We also study how preterm birth affects family structures, gaining of independence in adulthood among those born preterm, as well as health and physical fitness of military conscripts.

Implementation

The Finnish 1987–90 Birth Cohort includes all births in Finland during 1st January 1987 – 30th September 1990, identified through the Finnish Medical Birth Register (MBR). The data are linked with other national registers such as Central Population Register, registers at Statistics Finland (Education, Occupation and Socioeconomic status, Cause of death), Defence Forces’ Registries, the Finnish Care Register for Health Care (formerly Hospital Discharge Register), Register for Induced Abortions, The Register of Congenital Malformations, The Register of Sterilisations, Care Register for Social Welfare, The Child Welfare Register, Register for Infectious diseases, Register for Social Benefits as well as Registers for Medical purchases and medical reimbursements.

For most registers data is available from the birth of the cohort individuals and their parents (from the beginning of each cohort). This allows us to study the longitudinal impact of early life exposures and modifiers over the generations. Some of the data are stored at Statistics Finland and accessed via FIONA remote access system.