Implementation of the INTERGROWTH-21st Project in Brazil.

Area of Science:

• Perinatal research
• Maternal-fetal medicine
• Public health initiatives

Background:

• The INTERGROWTH-21st Project aimed to establish standards for fetal and newborn growth.
• Pelotas, Brazil, served as the Latin American site for this international study.
• The project involved complex data collection across multiple healthcare facilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the methodology and operational challenges of the Pelotas site within the INTERGROWTH-21st Project.
• To outline the recruitment strategies for the Newborn Cross-Sectional Study (NCSS) and Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study (FGLS).
• To report on efforts to foster collaboration among healthcare professionals and community leaders.

Main Methods:

• NCSS sample drawn from four hospitals, covering 99% of city births.
• FGLS sample recruited from private ultrasound and antenatal clinics serving middle to high socioeconomic status women.
• Public relations activities implemented to enhance collaboration with healthcare providers and community leaders.

Main Results:

• Successful recruitment for NCSS from major hospitals.
• Challenges encountered in recruiting FGLS participants from numerous disparate private clinics.
• Initiation of collaborative efforts through public relations activities.

Conclusions:

• The Pelotas site successfully established a framework for collecting perinatal data.
• Recruitment strategies required adaptation based on the specific study (NCSS vs. FGLS) and socioeconomic context.
• Community and professional engagement were crucial for overcoming logistical hurdles.