Abstract
ORIGINS is a new birth cohort study, collecting detailed information about the early environment’s influence on a broad range of non-communicable diseases. Over 5 years we aim to recruit 10,000 women and their partners early in pregnancy at Joondalup Health Campus (JHC) and collect biological samples, routine data and web-based questionnaires on their physical and mental health, diet, physical activity patterns and a range of factors in their environment, creating a large biobank and databank. We will intensively follow up these families until the children are 5 years of age. We will assess how early-life exposures influence child growth, development and health.
Nested within the main observational cohort will be a series of intervention studies to improve modifiable aspects of the early-life environment (e.g. nutrition, physical activity, microbial diversity and language development). ORIGINS is embedded in clinical care at JHC, and positive findings will be promptly translated into routine care for all families. Community and consumer representation is incorporated into this project. In addition to a dedicated ORIGINS Community Reference Group and Participant Reference Group, ORIGINS team members collaborate and participate with relevant local agencies, networks and groups. This encourages community engagement and provides avenues to disseminate information and findings to families and agencies.
ORIGINS will be a significant asset for the community as it has the potential to improve child and adolescent health and increase maternal, paternal, child and adolescent health research capacity, research productivity, research collaboration and translational impact.
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Abbreviations
- ADP:
-
Air displacement plethysmography
- AEDC:
-
Australian Early Development Census
- BENEFIT:
-
Breastfeeding and Eating Nuts and Eggs For Infant Tolerance
- CARE-Dads:
-
Cardiovascular Risk Evaluation in Expectant Fathers
- CDC:
-
Child Development Centre
- CRG:
-
Community Reference Group
- DOHaD:
-
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
- ECU:
-
Edith Cowan University
- GA:
-
Gestational age
- GP:
-
General practitioner
- HREC:
-
Human Research Ethics Committee
- JHC:
-
Joondalup Health Campus
- MRC:
-
Medical Research Council
- NAPLAN:
-
National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy
- NCDs:
-
Non-communicable diseases
- NHMRC:
-
National Health and Medical Research Council
- NIH:
-
National Institutes of Health
- PEA POD:
-
Infant Body Composition System
- PLAN:
-
Pregnancy Lifestyle Activity and Nutrition
- PRG:
-
Participant Reference Group
- RCT:
-
Randomised controlled trial
- RIGs:
-
Research Interest Groups
- SYMBA:
-
Promoting gut health (symbiosis) with prebiotic fibre for prevention of allergic disease
- TALK:
-
Testosterone and Language in Kids
- TEWL:
-
Trans-epidermal water loss
- TKI:
-
Telethon Kids Institute
- UWA:
-
University of Western Australia
- WA DoH:
-
Western Australian Department of Health
- WA:
-
Western Australia
- WAPHA:
-
WA Primary Health Alliance
- WHO:
-
World Health Organisation
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Acknowledgement
The ORIGINS Project has received core funding support from the Telethon-Perth Children’s Hospital Research Fund, the Paul Ramsay Foundation and the Commonwealth Government. Substantial support has also been provided by the Joondalup Health Campus and Telethon Kids Institute.
The ORIGINS Project is only possible because of the enthusiasm and commitment of the children and parents in ORIGINS. We are grateful to all the participants, health professionals and researchers who have made the ORIGINS Project happen.
We would also like to acknowledge all the members of the ORIGINS Community Reference Group, Participant Reference Group, Executive Group, Scientific Committee, Working Group, Research Interest Groups, Hospital and Project team who have supported the development and set-up of ORIGINS.
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Hagemann, E. et al. (2019). The ORIGINS Project. In: Sata, F., Fukuoka, H., Hanson, M. (eds) Pre-emptive Medicine: Public Health Aspects of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Current Topics in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2194-8_6
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