Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting (Propensity Score) using the Military Health System Data Repository and National Death Index
06:55

Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting (Propensity Score) using the Military Health System Data Repository and National Death Index

Published on: January 8, 2020

The IDEFICS cohort: design, characteristics and participation in the baseline survey

W Ahrens1, K Bammann, A Siani

  • 1Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine, University Bremen, Germany. ahrens@bips.uni-bremen.de

International Journal of Obesity (2005)
|April 13, 2011
PubMed

Insights

The Identification and prevention of dietary- and lifestyle-induced health effects in children and infants (IDEFICS) study collected extensive data on child health and lifestyle factors. This cohort provides a rich resource for understanding childhood obesity and related disorders.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health and Nutrition
  • Public Health Research
  • Childhood Obesity Etiology

Background:

  • The European IDEFICS study aimed to determine causes of overweight and obesity in children.
  • It also focused on developing and evaluating a primary prevention program for diet- and lifestyle-related health issues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • This paper details the etiological aspects of the IDEFICS multicenter study.
  • It covers the measures, examinations, sociodemographic characteristics, and participation rates of the study sample.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective cohort study design with an embedded intervention component was used.
  • The study involved a baseline survey across eight European countries from 2007-2008.
  • Data collection included parent-reported information and objective measurements of children's health and lifestyle.

Main Results:

  • 16,224 children aged 2-9 years participated in the baseline cohort, with recruitment varying by country.
  • Comprehensive data were collected, including anthropometry (90%+), blood pressure (90%+), accelerometry (46%), fitness tests (35-41%), and biological samples (saliva, urine, blood).
  • Sociodemographic data revealed variations in income distribution across countries, with low-income groups notably represented in Cyprus, Italy, and Germany.

Conclusions:

  • The IDEFICS cohort offers valuable data for investigating the complex interplay of factors contributing to diet- and lifestyle-related disorders in children.
  • This includes social, environmental, genetic, physiological, and behavioral influences.
Abstract

More Related Videos

Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India09:33

Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India

Published on: December 23, 2022

'Boden Food Plate': Novel Interactive Web-based Method for the Assessment of Dietary Intake04:46

'Boden Food Plate': Novel Interactive Web-based Method for the Assessment of Dietary Intake

Published on: September 18, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Study Designs in Epidemiology01:20

Study Designs in Epidemiology

Epidemiological study designs are fundamental tools for investigating the distribution, determinants, and control of health conditions in populations. They help researchers understand the relationships between exposures and outcomes, and they broadly fall into two categories: "observational" and "experimental" studies.
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies.
Longitudinal Studies01:26

Longitudinal Studies

Longitudinal studies are also widely used in other medical and social science fields. For instance, in cardiovascular research, they can monitor patients' health over decades to identify risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or smoking, and evaluate the long-term effectiveness of preventive measures. Similarly, in mental health studies, researchers might follow individuals from adolescence into adulthood to understand the development and progression of conditions like...
Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients01:15

Bioavailability Study Design: Healthy Subjects Versus Patients

Bioavailability studies are essential for evaluating a drug's therapeutic efficacy and understanding its absorption patterns under various physiological conditions. Conducting such studies on target patient populations provides more relevant data by simulating real-world disease states. However, practical challenges often necessitate the use of young, healthy adult volunteers as study subjects.Patients may exhibit altered drug absorption patterns due to the effects of the disease itself,...
Longitudinal Research02:20

Longitudinal Research

Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
Study Design in Statistics01:15

Study Design in Statistics

A study design is a set of techniques that allow a researcher to collect and analyze data from different variables defined for a specific research problem. Statistics is commonly for effective study design and more robust experiments,
Does aspirin reduce the risk of heart attacks? Is one brand of fertilizer more effective at growing roses than another? Is fatigue as dangerous to a driver as the influence of alcohol? Questions like these are answered using randomized experiments with proper...
Data Collection by Survey01:07

Data Collection by Survey

The systematic method of obtaining and analyzing accurate information of a population is called data collection. A survey is a standard method of data collection that involves collecting information from a target human population about their experience, opinion, or knowledge of a product, service, or process. The responses are recorded and interpreted. The most common survey examples are written questionnaires, face-to-face or telephonic conversations, focus groups, and electronic (e-mail or...