How do children grow?
Until recently, this question had gone unanswered in France, owing to the absence of large-scale studies. At long last, however, researchers from many different disciplines are tracking the lives of children from birth to adulthood. More than 18,000 children born in metropolitan France in 2011 (i.e. one in every 50 children born that year) have been included in the study.
Following these same-aged children over a full two decades will give us a unique opportunity to deepen our understanding of the factors affecting their development and how they find their place in society. Researchers are interested not only in the children’s health, schooling and diet, but also in their family and social life, as well as their environment. It is the drawing together of all these different strands that makes Elfe such an important scientific project.
Managed by the French National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED) and the National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), in partnership with the French National Blood Service (EFS), the Elfe study has the backing of a consortium of ministries and public institutions.