ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the NINCDS Collaborative Perinatal Project (NCPP), which supplied the cohort for the current study, as well as the cohort itself. It reviews the background, development, and administration of the NCPP in detail by Broman, Nichols, and Kennedy. The eligibility for selection in the NCPP was based on the “sampling frame” that was defined for each participating hospital. The NCPP socioeconomic index, based on education, occupation, and income data collected during prenatal interviews, has been used as a predictor variable, as a control variable, and to compare the NCPP population with the US population. The NCPP index, like that of the United States Bureau of the Census, combined scores for education, family income, and occupation into a single score. The NCPP population compared favorably in terms of educational attainment and broad occupational category but unfavorably in terms of family income and percentage of intact families.
