Survey of Neonates in Pomerania (SNiP): Study design and cohort update.

Background: The health status of newborns is a major concern for parents and medical personnel. Recent studies have provided increasing evidence that factors from the foetal and perinatal periods of life influence health later in life. The "Follow-up of the Survey of Neonates in Pomerania" (SNiP-I-Follow-up) is the first follow-up of the population-based birth cohort study, SNiP-I, established in north-east Germany.