A community-based study of respiratory illness during the first year of life would involve tracking and analyzing the incidence, types, and severity of respiratory illnesses in infants within a specific community over a one-year period. This could involve data collection methods such as surveys of parents or caregivers, medical record reviews, and possibly even direct medical examinations or tests of the infants. The data collected would then be analyzed to identify patterns, trends, and possible risk factors for respiratory illness in the first year of life. This could provide valuable information for healthcare providers, public health officials, and researchers working to prevent and treat respiratory illnesses in infants.