Health visitors' and nurses' role in the 65-year follow-up of an early post-war birth cohort.

This paper describes a national birth cohort study of influences on health, development and ageing processes throughout life, so far to age 65 years. It began as an early post-war study of maternity in England, Wales and Scotland two years before the NHS began, and continued as a follow-up study of a large sample (5362) of those births. The study has influenced scientific and policy thinking by showing the relationships of children's physical and mental development and home background with many aspects of health and life chances throughout their life, including the processes of physical and mental ageing. Health visitors and research nurses have been closely involved in the study's work throughout. Four comparable cohort follow-up studies have since been started in Britain, and a sixth is soon to begin. These national cohort studies provide the opportunity to compare development and health in succeeding generations. Health visitors and nurses have also been involved in these subsequent studies.