Bruinsma et al. BMC Public Health 2011, 11(Suppl 5):S7 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/S5/S7 particular example is the investigation of cancer clusters. Very few cancer clusters are found to be attributable to a particular cause or exposure but frequently the find- ings are received with scepticism. The experience of active engagement and explanation of research process and design may assist in this understanding. Implications This paper has provided the social and historical context of a retrospective cohort study. Our experience with undertaking this study has implications for wider public health research. We believe active engagement with stake- holders provided a positive experience of the research pro- cess, improved the design of the study instruments and facilitated acceptance and understanding of the study find- ings. It also highlights the need for accurate record-keep- ing and systematic storage of records over an extended period of time and for access to records that allow tracing to take place. Further clarification of ethical and legal access to records would facilitate studies investigating long-term outcomes of interventions and treatments. Acknowledgements and funding We thank the women who participated in the study, members of Tall Girls Inc, and the physicians who provided access to their medical records. A special thankyou goes to Emeritus Professor Judith Lumley for her part in the inception of the study and her continued involvement and support throughout and to Penelope Jones for research assistance. We would also like to acknowledge the feedback on the paper we received from Professor Lin Fritschi. The study (the Tall Girls Study) on which this paper is based was supported by a grant from the National Health & Medical Research Council (ID 9937231). During the writing of this paper FB and JR were supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Capacity Building Grant in Population Health Research (ID: 433043). This article has been published as part of BMC Public Health Volume 11 Supplement 5, 2011: Navigating complexity in public health. The full contents of the supplement are available online at http://www. biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/S5. Author details 1Mother and Child Health Research, La Trobe University, 215 Franklin St, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia. 2Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 23 Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia. 3School of Population Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 5, 207 Bouverie Street, Carlton, Victoria 3010, Australia. 4Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes and Centre for Hormone Research, Royal Children’s Hospital and Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Flemington Rd, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia. 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