NASCITA (Nascere E Crescere in Italia): an Italian Birth Cohort Study

The NASCITA study (NAscere e creSCere in ITAlia) was created to improve the understanding of the health status of Italian children early on and how it is affected by social and health determinants. The findings will be used in the development of specific prevention measures and interventions to improve the health of children, in particular more vulnerable ones.

The hypotheses are that:

• differences due to environmental, sociodemographic, and parental determinants, as well as to child characteristics and physician attitudes, exist between geographic areas in a population's health and in the use of health resources in the first few years of life;
• differences exist in the appropriateness of care provided by the National Health Service at different levels (regional, local, family pediatrician);
• differences exist between geographical settings in parental attitudes toward the recommendations concerning children's health care, and these differences may be a determinant of child development and well-being and health resource utilization;
• the existing differences between geographical settings in the opportunities for children to access educational/socialization experiences (e.g. day-care centers) may have an impact on development.

Aims:

• The main aim of the NASCITA cohort is to evaluate physical, cognitive, and psychological development, and health status and health resource use during the first six years of life in a group of newborns, and to evaluate potential associated factors.
• To evaluate differences between geographical settings in educational and socialization opportunities available for young children and in the care provided by the family pediatricians and by the National Health Service for the same needs
• To evaluate the association between the well-being of children and parental adherence to the recommendations for better child care and development.