Cohort Profile: The Copenhagen Infant Health Nurse Records (CIHNR) cohort

Authors: The paper is written by Lise G. Bjerregaard, Miriam Wüst, Torben S. D. Johansen, Thorkild I. A. Sørensen, Christian M. Dahl, and Jennifer L. Baker.

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Abtract: In Denmark after World War I, rates of infant mortality during the first year of life were concerningly high due to high rates of morbidity, poor child care and nutrition and housing conditions. Inspired by preventive home visits by nurses in Finland, the UK and the USA, a similar service was initiated in Denmark. From 1929 to 1935, the Danish Health Authority in cooperation with the Rockefeller Foundation from the USA, conducted a pilot study of a two-arm cluster, pragmatic trial examining whether an infant health nurse visit programme reduced infant morbidity and mortality in Copenhagen and two rural districts. The service was successful and well received, and enacted into law in 1937. Immediately thereafter, the municipality of Copenhagen adopted the programme. A critical element in the success of the service was the parallel development of a formal education in infant health nursing which was launched in 1938. The infant health nurse positions could be filled by registered nurses who had additional education in maternity care, specialized paediatric care, epidemic or tuberculosis care or care for patients with mental illness. Importantly, all infant health nurses had to pass a course for infant health nurses at Aarhus University. The service focused on health promotion with the aim of securing children had a healthy start in life, to set the foundation for a healthy adult life. The programme is still running today, although now with need-based visit frequency and attention.

Citing

If you would like to cite our paper, please use

@article{bjerregaard2023cohort,
    author = {Bjerregaard, Lise G and Wüst, Miriam and Johansen, Torben S D and Sørensen, Thorkild I A and Dahl, Christian M and Baker, Jennifer L},
    title = "{Cohort Profile: The Copenhagen Infant Health Nurse Records (CIHNR) cohort}",
    journal = {International Journal of Epidemiology},
    pages = {dyad096},
    year = {2023},
    month = {07},
    issn = {0300-5771},
    doi = {10.1093/ije/dyad096},
    url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyad096},
    eprint = {https://academic.oup.com/ije/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/ije/dyad096/50800948/dyad096.pdf},
}