Professor
Jane Clemensen
H.C. Andersen Children's Hospital at Odense University Hospital, Denmark
| Project management | ||
| Project status | Active | |
| Data collection dates | ||
| Start | 01.01.2010 | |
| End | 31.12.2031 | |
Odense Child Cohort - A project about children's health Read more about the project on webpage: www.odenseboernekohorte.dk
Short summary
The cohort expect to detect risk children in terms of exercise, diet, alcohol and smoking especially for preventive measures, to find causality between biological and chemical substances, diseases and lifestyle. It is expected to detect specific health problems in children from ethnic groups and study the causes. Furthermore the cohort will elucidate the relationship between infections in childhood and special circumstances related to pregnancy, childbirth, social and environmental conditions.
Rationale
In collaboration between Odense University Hospital, Odense Municipality, the University of Southern Denmark and the Psychiatri in the Region of Southern Denmark it is our intension to monitor future birth cohorts. The aim is to provide new knowledge about children's social, environmental and hereditary factors which either promote health or otherwise cause failure to thrive, somatic, and mental disease. The cohorts will provide new knowledge and thus be helpful in order to initiate preventive and health measures.
Description of the cohort
The Odense Child Cohort is a prospective observational birth cohort. Briefly, newly pregnant women residing in the Municipality of Odense, Denmark between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2012 were recruited at a voluntary information meeting about ultrasound examinations at gestational age (GA) 8-10, at first antenatal midwife visit (GA 15-16), or at the ultrasound examination at Odense University Hospital (GA 12-13). Of the eligible population of 6,707 pregnant women, 4,017 who were informed declined while 2,874 (43%) enrolled in the cohort and 2,509 children are currently participating in the project.
The purpose of the project is to provide in-depth information about the interaction between maternal and child health and the impact of social and environmental factors in order to improve child health and wellbeing. Information is collected from questionnaires, medical record and biological material from parents and child. In addition, information is collected from health visitors, general practitioners, nurseries and school records. Odense Municipality is well suited for this purpose as the population resamples the general population in Denmark. The cohort includes a number of sub-projects e.g. effects of exposure to environmental pollutants, lactation, incidence of infections and allergies in toddler's age, dental health and the importance of vitamin D for pregnancy and toddler age. The language development in infants is examined with emphasis on socially disadvantaged families and ethnic groups. Similarly factors that affect the development of ADHD is being investigated. More sub-projects are emerging on the development of health and opposite failure to thrive, including the importance of exercise and diet throughout childhood.
Odense Child Cohort is financially supported by the Municipality of Odense, the Odense University Hospital, the Region of Southern Denmark, OPEN (Odense Patient Data Exploratory Network), the Psychiatry in the Region of Southern Denmark, The Health Foundation, The Ronald McDonald Child Foundation and many small grants.
Data and biological material
Data will be collected from four cohort's pregnancies and births (2010-2013) in the municipality of Odense, corresponding to approx. 3.000 babies born in a similar number of families. During pregnancy where will be collected data concerning social status, maternal physical data and lifestyle, paternal data and lifestyle and other factors (e.g. sun, pollutans), as well as blood from the expecting mother in gestational week 10-16 and gestational week 28 and blood or hair samples from the father.
Biological material will be collected during childbirth and at the age of 3 month, 18 month, 3 years, 5 years, 7 years, 9 years, 12 years, 15 years and 18 years.
The collection of data will take place at H.C. Andersen Children's Hospital, Odense University Hospital, where other examinations also will take place such as measuring of height and weight, lung function tests etc.
The cohort has so far collected more than 300,000 samples, whch are stored in OPEN.
Subprojects
Lack of Vitamin D
Infections during early Childhood
Language Development
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Chemicals' influence on development of overweigth and allergies
The difference in use of antenatal care
Epigenetics
Genes-enviroment-social interaction in the development ADHD
Breastfeeding - social and biological factors' influence on breastfeeding and lactation length
Detecting alcohol consumption
Dental health
Pediatric reference intervals
Association between child and maternal health
Parasites in stool samples
Collaborating researchers and departments
Odense University Hospital, Denmark
Psychiatry In the Region of Southern Denmark
Odense Municipality, Denmark
University of Southern Denmark