The BLS follows a cohort of individuals to assess those at an increased risk for motor, language, and cognitive development delays. The study initially recruited all infants born "at risk" in a geographically defined area in Southern Bavaria during a 15-month period between 1985-1986 who were admitted to one of 16 children’s hospitals within 10 days after birth (N = 7,505). In Phase I, recruited participants, 916 control children and their parents were examined during the newborn period and at ages 5, 20 and 56 months. Participants have been followed up in Phase 2 (1991-1994), Phase 3 (1998-1999), Phase 4 (2010-2014) and Phase 5 (2019-2022). Follow-up in phase 6 is ongoing as of January 2025.
Study design
Cohort - birth
Number of participants at first data collection
7,505 (participants)
916 (control participants)
Age at first data collection
Birth (participants)
Participant year of birth
1985 - 1986 (participants)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
No
Sample features
Country
Year of first data collection
1985
Primary Institutions
Technical University of Munich (Technische Universität München, TU Munich)
University Hospital Bonn (Universitätsklinikum Bonn, UKB)
University of Warwick (UoW)
Profile paper DOI
Funders
European Research Council (ERC)
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) now known as Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt, BMFTR)
German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG)
United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Ongoing?
Yes
Data types collected
Engagement
Keywords