Townsend Michelle L, Kelly Megan A, Pickard Judy A, Larkin Theresa A, Flood Victoria M, Caputi Peter, Wright Ian M, Jones Alison, Grenyer Brin F S
1Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia.
2School of Psychology, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 Australia.
Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2019 Feb 26;5:32. doi: 10.1186/s40814-019-0418-5. eCollection 2019.
There is a strong interest in the concept of developmental origins of health and disease and their influence on various factors "from cradle to grave". Despite the increasing appreciation of this lifelong legacy across the human life course, many gaps remain in the scientific understanding of mechanisms influencing these formative phases. Cross-generational susceptibility to health problems is emerging as a focus of research in the context of birth cohort studies.The primary aim of the Illawarra Born study is to make scientific discoveries associated with improving health and wellbeing across the lifespan, with a particular focus on preventable chronic diseases, especially mental health. This birth cohort study will follow and collect data from three cohorts representing different stages across the lifespan: infants, adults (parents) and older adults (grandparents). The multi-generational, cross-sectional and longitudinal design of this birth cohort study supports a focus on the contributions of genetics, environment and lifestyle on health and wellbeing. The feasibility of conducting a multi-generational longitudinal birth cohort project was conducted through a small pilot study.
METHODS/DESIGN: The purpose of this paper is to report on the feasibility and acceptability of the research protocol for a collaborative cross-generation health study in the community and test recruitment and outcome measures for the main study. This feasibility study included pregnant women who were intending to give birth in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven region in Eastern Australia. The area includes a large, regional referral hospital, with capacity to treat specialist and complex cases. Pregnant women were asked to participate in five data collection waves beginning at 22 weeks gestation and ending with a 6-month post-partum appointment. Recruitment was then extended, via the pregnant women, to also include fathers and maternal grandmothers.
This feasibility study focused on the perinatal period and collected data across three multi-disciplinary domains including mental health, diet, exposures to toxins and the role of these in maternal and infant outcomes. Forty-one families participated in extensive data collection from 22 weeks gestation to 6-months post-partum. Factors impacting on viability and feasibility including recruitment solutions provide the basis for a large-scale study.
人们对健康与疾病的发育起源概念及其“从摇篮到坟墓”对各种因素的影响有着浓厚兴趣。尽管人们越来越认识到这种贯穿人类生命历程的终身影响，但在科学理解影响这些形成阶段的机制方面仍存在许多空白。在出生队列研究的背景下，跨代对健康问题的易感性正成为研究的一个重点。伊拉瓦拉出生队列研究的主要目的是做出与改善全生命周期健康和福祉相关的科学发现，特别关注可预防的慢性病，尤其是心理健康。这项出生队列研究将跟踪并收集来自代表生命不同阶段的三个队列的数据：婴儿、成年人（父母）和老年人（祖父母）。这项出生队列研究的多代、横断面和纵向设计支持关注遗传、环境和生活方式对健康和福祉的影响。通过一项小型试点研究评估了开展多代纵向出生队列项目的可行性。
方法/设计：本文旨在报告社区合作跨代健康研究的研究方案的可行性和可接受性，并测试主要研究的招募和结果测量方法。这项可行性研究纳入了打算在澳大利亚东部伊拉瓦拉 - 肖尔黑文地区分娩的孕妇。该地区有一家大型的地区转诊医院，能够治疗专科和复杂病例。孕妇被要求从妊娠22周开始参与五个数据收集阶段，直至产后6个月的随访。随后通过孕妇将招募范围扩大到父亲和外祖母。
这项可行性研究聚焦围产期，收集了包括心理健康、饮食、接触毒素及其在母婴结局中的作用等三个多学科领域的数据。41个家庭参与了从妊娠22周到产后6个月的广泛数据收集。包括招募解决方案在内的影响可行性和可行性的因素为大规模研究提供了基础。
