Cohort Profile: The Young Lives Study

Young Lives is an international longitudinal study investigating the changing nature of childhood poverty in four developing countries over a 15-year period. The time frame over which the Young Lives study is being conducted, corresponds to the period set to assess the progress towards the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 1 The Young Lives study grew out of a need to improve understanding of the causes and consequences of childhood poverty, and aims to provide evidence to support the development of effective policies. Since the mid 20th century large-scale child cohort studies have been running in the UK, USA and other high-income countries and more recently in a few low-income countries. 2-4 However, no such research has previously been conducted across different lowincome countries and Young Lives is the first multi-country study. Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh), Peru and Vietnam, were selected to represent the key regions in the developing world and to reflect a wide range of cultural, political, geographical and social contexts. Young Lives is co-ordinated by the University of Oxford's Department of International Development with partners from leading national research institutes, government statistics departments and Save the Children. It is core-funded by UK aid from the Department for International Development (DFID) from 2001 to 2017 and co-funded from 2010 to 2014 by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Sub-studies are currently funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation and the Oak Foundation

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