The CHDS was originally a study which observed pregnancy, birth, and childhood growth. The study began over 40 years ago. More than 15,000 families in the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan joined the CHDS between 1959 and 1967. These landmark studies greatly advanced medical knowledge about pregnancy, childbirth, and child development. As CHDS children have become adults and started their own families, follow-up studies have looked at other health outcomes like cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. The CHDS was made possible by you, your mother, and thousands of other women and children in the East Bay. The CHDS is a project of the Public Health Institute.
Your mother may have participated in an interview about her pregnancy, health history, and lifestyle. Additionally, she may have provided a blood sample. CHDS mothers received no medical treatment of any kind as a result of their participation.
Your mother enrolled in the study while she was pregnant with you and gave the study permission to follow your childhood health and growth through your early life medical records at Kaiser Permanente Health Plan. You may have also participated in follow-up studies with the CHDS when you were 5, between the ages of 9-11, or when you were an adolescent between the ages of 15-17 years.
A cohort study is a type of study where the same group of people are studied over a long period of time. A cohort is a group of people that share something in common, such as year of birth. The CHDS cohort includes women who were pregnant and receiving medical care at KPHP between 1959 and 1967. The second generation cohort of CHDS includes the children of the women in the study and the third generation includes the grandchildren.
The CHDS is headed by Dr. Barbara Cohn who has been with the study since 1996 and has been the director since 2001. Please see the study staff page for other individuals who are working on the CHDS.
The Public Health Institute (PHI) is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting health, well-being, and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation, and around the world. The CHDS is a project of the Public Health Institute.
