What Research Questions Should the Next Generation of Birth Cohort Studies Address? An International Delphi Study of Experts

Objective Birth cohort studies (BCS) have generated a wealth of invaluable basic scientific and policy-relevant information on wide range issues in child health development. This study sought to explore what research questions are currently priority for the next generation BCS using 3-round Delphi survey interdisciplinary experts. Methods Twenty-four (Round I, N = 17; Round II, 21; III, 18) experts across fields (eg, psychology, public health, maternal/child health) agreed participate. In expert panel was invited freely respond question, “what key future birth should address?” Content analysis answers used identify 47 rating perceived importance by II consensus-achieving were identified. Questions that did not reach consensus posed again re-rating III. Results Twenty six reached with an additional 6 reaching Consensus-achieving rated highly spanned number topics, including environmental effects development, intergenerational transmission disadvantage, designing inform intervention strategies. Conclusion Investigating family/environmental factors social disadvantage child's development be prioritized BCS. The also recommended designed