Sayers Susan, Singh Gurmeet, Mackerras Dorothy, Lawrance Megan, Gunthorpe Wendy, Jamieson Lisa, Davison Belinda, Schutz Kobi, Fitz Joseph
Menzies School of Health Research, Institute of Advanced Studies, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT Australia.
BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 2009 Sep 24;9:23. doi: 10.1186/1472-698X-9-23.
In 1987, a prospective study of an Australian Aboriginal Birth Cohort was established focusing on the relationships of fetal and childhood growth with the risk of chronic adult disease. However as the study is being conducted in a highly marginalized population it is also an important resource for cross-sectional descriptive and analytical studies. The aim of this paper is to describe the processes of the third follow up which was conducted 20 years after recruitment at birth.
Progressive steps in a multiphase protocol were used for tracing, with modifications for the expected rural or urban location of the participants.
Of the original 686 cohort participants recruited 68 were untraced and 27 were known to have died. Of the 591 available for examination 122 were not examined; 11 of these were refusals and the remainder were not seen for logistical reasons relating to inclement weather, mobility of participants and single participants living in very remote locations.
The high retention rate of this follow-up 20 years after birth recruitment is a testament to the development of successful multiphase protocols aimed at overcoming the challenges of tracing a cohort over a widespread remote area and also to the perseverance of the study personnel. We also interpret the high retention rate as a reflection of the good will of the wider Aboriginal community towards this study and that researchers interactions with the community were positive. The continued follow-up of this life course study now seems feasible and there are plans to trace and reexamine the cohort at age 25 years.
1987年，一项针对澳大利亚原住民出生队列的前瞻性研究得以开展，重点关注胎儿期和儿童期生长与成人慢性疾病风险之间的关系。然而，由于该研究是在一个高度边缘化的人群中进行的，它也是横断面描述性和分析性研究的重要资源。本文旨在描述第三次随访的过程，此次随访是在出生招募20年后进行的。
采用多阶段方案中的逐步步骤进行追踪，并根据参与者预期的农村或城市地点进行了调整。
在最初招募的686名队列参与者中，有68人未被追踪到，已知27人死亡。在可供检查的591人中，有122人未接受检查；其中11人拒绝检查，其余人因恶劣天气、参与者流动性以及居住在非常偏远地区的单身参与者等后勤原因未能接受检查。
此次出生招募20年后随访的高保留率证明了旨在克服在广泛偏远地区追踪队列挑战的成功多阶段方案的发展，也证明了研究人员的毅力。我们还将高保留率解释为更广泛的原住民社区对该研究的善意反映，以及研究人员与社区的互动是积极的。现在，对这个生命历程研究的持续随访似乎是可行的，并且有计划在参与者25岁时对队列进行追踪和重新检查。
