Centre for Epidemiological Research

The Center of Epidemiological Research (CPE) is formed by a group of researchers that investigates, mainly, the influence of inherent factors in the birth and first years of life periods on the individual’s health along all his/her life.
The aims of this investigation are: to know the populations health, to identify the causes of their main diseases, and to develop preventive strategies that may benefit the greatest number of people.

In order to achieve those aims, CPE keeps one of the biggest birth cohorts programs of the world, which is the biggest among developing countries.

The CPE group maintains in its studies 20 thousand participants, who are part of four different cohorts. The first birth cohort is related to all 1982 births (5.914 people), the second one is related to all 1993 births (5.249 people), the third one is related to all 2004 births (4.231 people), and the fourth is related to all 2015 births (4.275
people), all of them in Pelotas. CPE has been investigating those people for four decades, comparing the generations

By having published more than 500 scientific articles, CPE follow-up studies have been contributing to the knowledge about child mortality, breastfeeding, cesarean, malnutrition, and obesityin a relevant way for the development of many preventive strategies.

CPE is also interested in other related areas of investigation, especially in researches about evaluation of health programs impact, health inequalities, and human nutrition.
Because of that, CPE is a Collaborating Center on the Maternal and Child Nutrition of the World Health Organization, the National Reference Center in Food and Nutrition of the Health Ministry and LatinAmerican Excellence Center of Wellcome Trust Foundation.

Centre for Epidemiological Research