Are findings from large longitudinal studies of child health and development useful or just of interest?

In this paper I outline the different types of birth and pre-birth cohort studies that exist, with their advantages and disadvantages, before describing the ways in which such studies can answer research questions that would not be feasible with retrospective case-control studies. Details of some of the findings from birth cohort studies are described, together with some of the health benefits of putting the results into practice.