Nutritional impact on Immunological maturation during Childhood in relation to the Environment (NICE): a prospective birth cohort in northern Sweden

IntroductionPrenatal and neonatal environmental factors, such as nutrition, microbes and toxicants, may affect health throughout life. Many diseases, such as allergy and impaired child development, may be programmed already in utero or during early infancy. Birth cohorts are important tools to study associations between early life exposure and disease risk. Here, we describe the study protocol of the prospective birth cohort, ‘Nutritional impact on Immunological maturation during Childhood in relation to the Environment’ (NICE). The primary aim of the NICE cohort is to clarify the effect of key environmental exposures—diet, microbes and environmental toxicants—during pregnancy and early childhood, on the maturation of the infant’s immune system, including initiation of sensitisation and allergy as well as some secondary outcomes: infant growth, obesity, neurological development and oral health.Methods and analysisThe NICE cohort will recruit about 650 families during mid-pregnancy. The principal inclusion criterion will be planned birth at the Sunderby Hospital in the north of Sweden, during 2015–2018. Questionnaires data and biological samples will be collected at 10 time-points, from pregnancy until the children reach 4 years of age. Samples will be collected primarily from mothers and children, and from fathers. Biological samples include blood, urine, placenta, breast milk, meconium, faeces, saliva and hair. Information regarding allergic heredity, diet, socioeconomic status, lifestyle including smoking, siblings, pet ownership, etc will be collected using questionnaires. Sensitisation to common allergens will be assessed by skin prick testing and allergic disease will be diagnosed by a paediatrician at 1 and 4 years of age. At 4 years of age, the children will also be examined regarding growth, neurobehavioural and neurophysiological status and oral health.Ethics and disseminationThe NICE cohort has been approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board in Umeå, Sweden (2013/18-31M). Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and communicated on scientific conferences.

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Self-reported oral health and associated factors in the North Finland 1966 birth cohort at the age of 31

BMC Oral Health ◽

10.1186/1472-6831-14-155 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Terho Lintula ◽

Ville Laitala ◽

Paula Pesonen ◽

Kirsi Sipilä ◽

Marja-Liisa Laitala ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Associated Factors ◽

The North

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Perinatal health in the Danube region – new birth cohort justified

Reviews on Environmental Health ◽

10.1515/reveh-2016-0038 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 32 (1-2) ◽

pp. 9-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lisbeth E. Knudsen ◽

Zorana J. Andersen ◽

Radim J. Sram ◽

Markéta Braun Kohlová ◽

Eugen S. Gurzau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Birth Cohort ◽

Health Risks ◽

Birth Outcome ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Small Scale ◽

Environmental Toxicants ◽

Birth Cohorts ◽

Ongoing Research ◽

Eu Member States ◽

Danube Region

Abstract In 2013–2015, a consortium of European scientists – NEWDANUBE – was established to prepare a birth cohort in the Danube region, including most of the countries with the highest air pollution in Europe, the area being one-fifth of the European Union’s (EU’s) territory, including 14 countries (nine EU member states), over 100 million inhabitants, with numerous challenges: big socioeconomic disparities, and a region-specific environmental pollution. The consortium reflects the EU Strategy for the Danube Region Strategy (2010), which identified 11 thematic Priority Areas – one of which is the environmental risks. Birth cohorts have been established in all other areas of Europe and collaborative efforts in promoting maternal and fetal health by minimizing the environmental exposures have been initiated with national, European, and international financial support. A birth cohort in the Danube area could apply the established methodologies for prenatal exposure and birth outcome measurements and establish a platform for targeted health promotion in couples planning pregnancies. The consortium included a strong socioeconomic part focusing on the participant’s active registration of exposures to environmental toxicants and health indicators of disease and wellbeing, combined with investigation of their risk-reducing behavior and interventions to change their lifestyle to avoid the adverse health risks. Willingness to pay for reducing the health risks in children is also proposed to be estimated. Further collaboration and networking is encouraged as the Danube region has several decades of experience and expertise in biomonitoring adult populations exposed environmentally or occupationally. Additionally, some countries in the Danube region launched small-scale birth cohorts encouraged by participation in several ongoing research projects.

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Oral Health Birth Cohort Studies: Achievements, Challenges, and Potential

Journal of Dental Research ◽

10.1177/0022034520942208 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 99 (12) ◽

pp. 1321-1331 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K.G. Peres ◽

W.M. Thomson ◽

B.W. Chaffee ◽

M.A. Peres ◽

N. Birungi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Cohort Studies ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Negative Impact ◽

International Association ◽

Birth Cohorts ◽

Pooled Data ◽

Similarities And Differences ◽

Changes Over Time

Birth cohorts are those among observational studies that provide understanding of the natural history and causality of diseases since early in life. Discussions during an International Association for Dental Research symposium in London, United Kingdom, in 2018, followed by a workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2019, concluded that there are few birth cohort studies that consider oral health and that a broader discussion on similarities and differences among those studies would be valuable. This article aims to 1) bring together available long-term data of oral health birth cohort studies from the low, middle, and high-income countries worldwide and 2) describe similarities and differences among these studies. This work comprises 15 studies from all 5 continents. The most studied dental conditions and exposures are identified; findings are summarized; and methodological differences and similarities among studies are presented. Methodological strengths and weaknesses are also highlighted. Findings are summarized in 1) the negative impact of detrimental socioeconomic status on oral health changes over time, 2) the role of unfavorable patterns of dental visiting on oral health, 3) associations between general and oral health, 4) nutritional and dietary effects on oral health, and 5) intergenerational influences on oral health. Dental caries and dental visiting patterns have been recorded in all studies. Sources of fluoride exposure have been documented in most of the more recent studies. Despite some methodological differences in the way that the exposures and outcomes were measured, some findings are consistent. Predictive models have been used with caries risk tools, periodontitis occurrence, and permanent dentition orthodontic treatment need. The next steps of the group’s work are as follows: 1) establishing a consortium of oral health birth cohort studies, 2) conducting a scoping review, 3) exploring opportunities for pooled data analyses to answer pressing research questions, and 4) promoting and enabling the development of the next generation of oral health researchers.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Solid food introduction in relation to eczema: results from a four-year prospective birth cohort study.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.1091177.544577 ◽

2007 ◽

Author(s):

Jonathan Spergel

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Solid Food ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Solid Food Introduction ◽

Prospective Birth Cohort ◽

Prospective Birth Cohort Study

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Prenatal concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls, DDE, and DDT and overweight in children: a prospective birth cohort study.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.14264970.15777422 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Youcheng Liu ◽

Gillian Franklin

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Polychlorinated Biphenyls ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Birth Cohort ◽

Prospective Birth Cohort Study

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Daycare attendance and respiratory tract infections: a prospective birth cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014635 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (9) ◽

pp. e014635 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Linnea Schuez-Havupalo ◽

Laura Toivonen ◽

Sinikka Karppinen ◽

Anne Kaljonen ◽

Ville Peltola

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Day Care ◽

Repeated Measures ◽

Respiratory Tract Infections ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Tract Infections ◽

Prospective Birth Cohort ◽

Prospective Birth Cohort Study

ObjectiveWe explored the burden of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in young children with regard to day-care initiation.DesignLongitudinal prospective birth cohort study.Setting and methodsWe recruited 1827 children for follow-up until the age of 24 months collecting diary data on RTIs and daycare. Children with continuous daycare type and complete data were divided into groups of centre-based daycare (n=299), family day care (FDC) (n=245) and home care (n=350). Using repeated measures variance analyses, we analysed days per month with symptoms of respiratory tract infection, antibiotic treatments and parental absence from work for a period of 6 months prior to and 9 months after the start of daycare.ResultsWe documented a significant effect of time and type of daycare, as well as a significant interaction between them for all outcome measures. There was a rise in mean days with symptoms from 3.79 (95% CI 3.04 to 4.53) during the month preceding centre-based daycare to 10.57 (95% CI 9.35 to 11.79) at 2 months after the start of centre-based daycare, with a subsequent decrease within the following 9 months. Similar patterns with a rise and decline were observed in the use of antibiotics and parental absences. The start of FDC had weaker effects. Our findings were not changed when taking into account confounding factors.ConclusionsOur study shows the rapid increase in respiratory infections after start of daycare and a relatively fast decline in the course of time with continued daycare. It is important to support families around the beginning of daycare.

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Recruitment and retention of pregnant women in prospective birth cohort studies: A scoping review and content analysis of the literature

Neurotoxicology and Teratology ◽

10.1016/j.ntt.2021.106974 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 106974

Author(s):

Ellen Goldstein ◽

Ludmila N. Bakhireva ◽

Kendra Nervik ◽

Shelbey Hagen ◽

Alyssa Turnquist ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Cohort Studies ◽

Pregnant Women ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Recruitment And Retention ◽

Prospective Birth Cohort

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Association of gestational weight gain with cesarean section: a prospective birth cohort study in Southwest China

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth ◽

10.1186/s12884-020-03527-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Lujiao Huang ◽

Ju Zhang ◽

Hong Sun ◽

Hongli Dong ◽

Run Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Weight Gain ◽

Cesarean Section ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Gestational Weight Gain ◽

Southwest China ◽

The Other ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Gestational Weight ◽

Prospective Birth Cohort

Abstract Background Cesarean section (CS) is a rising public health issue globally, and is particularly serious in China. Numerous studies have suggested that gestational weight gain (GWG) control may be an effective way to reduce the rate of CS. However, rare study has examined the association between GWG and CS among women in Southwest China. We proposed to examine their association based on a prospective birth cohort, and further to explore the optimal GWG range. Methods We retrieved data from a prospective birth cohort from Sichuan Provincial Hospital for Women and Children, Southwest China. Unconditional multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between GWG and CS by adjusting for potential confounders. In one analysis, we incorporated the GWG as a categorical variable according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendation, similar to the method used in the majority of previous studies. In the other analysis, we directly incorporated GWG as a continuous variable and natural cubic splines were used to characterize the potential nonlinear exposure-response relationship, aiming to identify the optimal GWG. We further stratified the above analysis by pre-pregnancy BMI and GDM, and then a heterogeneity test based on a multivariate meta-analysis was conducted to examine whether the stratum specific estimations agreed with each other. Results A total of 1363 participants were included. By adopting the IOM recommendation, the adjusted OR of CS was 0.63 (0.47, 0.84) for insufficient GWG and 1.42 (1.06, 1.88) for excessive GWG. After stratification by pre-pregnancy BMI, we found a higher risk of CS in associated with excessive GWG in the stratum of underweight compared with the other strata, which implied that pre-pregnancy BMI may be an effect modifier. By applying a flexible spline regression, the optimal GWG levels in terms of reducing the CS rate based on our data were more stringent than those of IOM recommendation, which were 9–12 kg for underweight women, < 19 kg for normal weight women and < 10 kg for overweight/obese women. Conclusions These results suggested that a more stringent recommendation should be applied in Southwest China, and that more attention should be given to underweight women.

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Cohort analysis of the state of female genital cutting in Nigeria: prevalence, daughter circumcision and attitude towards its discontinuation

BMC Women s Health ◽

10.1186/s12905-021-01324-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Babatunde M. Gbadebo ◽

Adetokunbo T. Salawu ◽

Rotimi F. Afolabi ◽

Mobolaji M. Salawu ◽

Adeniyi F. Fagbamigbe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Birth Cohort ◽

Cohort Analysis ◽

The State ◽

Female Genital Cutting ◽

Birth Cohorts ◽

Bodily Integrity ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Female Children ◽

Genital Cutting ◽

Female Genital

Abstract Background Female genital cutting (FGC) inflicts life-long injuries on women and their female children. It constitutes a violation of women’s fundamental human rights and threats to bodily integrity. Though decreasing, the practice is high and widespread in Nigeria despite efforts towards its eradication. This study was conducted to perform cohort analysis of the state of FGC between the years 2009 and 2018 in Nigeria. Results The study found that that FGC has reduced over the years from 56.3% among the 1959–1963 birth cohort to 25.5% among 1994–1998 cohorts but a rise in FGC between 1994–1998 cohorts and 1999–2003 cohorts (28.4%). The percentage of respondents who circumcised their daughters reduced from 40.1% among the oldest birth cohort to 3.6% among the younger cohort. Birth-cohort, religion, education, residence, region, and ethnicity were associated with FGC. Factors associated with the daughter’s circumcision were birth-cohort, religion, residence, region, ethnicity, wealth, marital status, FGC status of the respondent, and FGC required by religion. Similar factors were found for discontinuation intention. Conclusions The practice of FGC is still high but decreasing among younger birth-cohorts in Nigeria. There is no significant change in the perception of the discontinuation of FGC. More awareness about the adverse effects of FGC, particularly among women with poor education in Nigeria will greatly reduce this cultural menace’s timely eradication.

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