Evaluating the Impact of Social Factors and Interventions on Healthy Growth and Development: the 80 Million Brazilian Cohort

Mauricio Lima Barreto from Fiocruz in Brazil will evaluate the impact of social and economic inequalities, and the national family allowance program (Bolsa Familia), on healthy births and early childhood health and development. They will setup a cohort, which will be derived from a central database of named households created to support Brazil's social programs, and a data center for the analysis. They will use a variety of demographic, economic and social data on families, as well as information on births and childhood deaths, and child growth. The impact of receiving family allowance, and the effect of its value and duration, on outcomes such as birth weight, prematurity, fetal death, and early childhood growth will also be measured. This approach will generate evidence to help maximize the value of the social program and inform future related policies.