Our Background

 

The Rhode Island Cohort of Adults Born Preterm — or "RHODE" Study — is a longitudinal study tracking a group of 215 infants who were born between 1985 and 1989 in Rhode Island. The study was formerly known as the Infant Development Study. Prior waves of data collection were conducted at birth, 1 month, 18 months, 30 months, 4 years, 8 years, 12 years, 17 years, and 23 years of age. The 215 originally enrolled participants represent a wide range of gestational ages, birth weights, and illness severity, and include both preterm and full-term participants.​

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In response to an Institute of Medicine recommendation for long-term outcome studies for premature infants into adulthood, the tenth wave of the study was conducted from 2020 to 2025, with participants about 35 years old. This is the longest continually running U.S. birth cohort study to follow preterm and full-term participants from birth into middle adulthood.