[Significance of longitudinal analysis for the evaluation of early detection studies in childhood]

In 1971, the first preventive examination programme for children up to 4 years of age was started in the Federal Republic of Germany; in 1977 followed a completely revised programme. However, even with this altered documentation a longitudinal analysis is not feasible. An effective evaluation should yield the following results: 1. Assessment of the success through differentiated recording of sufficiently early recognized health disorders and treatment effects. 2. Availability of reliable, regional and nation-wide statistics on incidence and prevalence. 3. An estimate of the number of health professionals required. - These aims can be achieved only by a longitudinal record linkage of the data on individuals of a sufficiently large random sample. For this purpose a revised data-sheet is presented. In addition, specific suggestions are made for longitudinal evaluations.