Reproductive and cardio-metabolic health
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Abstract
We are trying to find out how to improve the success of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) and make sure that women who have conceived by IVF or ‘naturally’ have a healthy pregnancy and birth.
IVF is common. In an average school class of 30 children 1 will have been born by IVF. New ways of using IVF might improve success rates but they need to be carefully evaluated.
Whether women conceive by IVF or naturally up to 40% will have one or more of pregnancy loss, high blood pressure or high blood sugar in pregnancy, a premature birth or an infant who is born unhealthily small or large. We do not know how to prevent these problems or predict which women will experience them.
We will use data from very large studies and new methods that help us to determine causes from ‘confounders’ (factors that fool us into thinking that something is a cause when it is not). This will allow us to work out how to improve IVF and prevent pregnancy problems. It will also improve our understanding of what risk factors in pregnancy affect children’s risk of being obese or having diabetes or heart problems later in their lives.
IVF is common. In an average school class of 30 children 1 will have been born by IVF. New ways of using IVF might improve success rates but they need to be carefully evaluated.
Whether women conceive by IVF or naturally up to 40% will have one or more of pregnancy loss, high blood pressure or high blood sugar in pregnancy, a premature birth or an infant who is born unhealthily small or large. We do not know how to prevent these problems or predict which women will experience them.
We will use data from very large studies and new methods that help us to determine causes from ‘confounders’ (factors that fool us into thinking that something is a cause when it is not). This will allow us to work out how to improve IVF and prevent pregnancy problems. It will also improve our understanding of what risk factors in pregnancy affect children’s risk of being obese or having diabetes or heart problems later in their lives.
Technical Summary
Our aim is to provide the evidence base that will improve treatment success with IVF and enable stratified and effective antenatal care in IVF and spontaneous conceptions (SC).
This is important because up to 40% or pregnancies are affected by one or more of miscarriage, stillbirth, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, preterm birth or delivery or a small or large for gestational aged infant, but we do not know the best way of preventing these. IVF is now the commonest treatment for infertility with >250K IVF cycles completed per year in the UK and on average 1 in 30 primary school children were born as a result of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Success rates vary by couple and treatment characteristics but are between 20-30%. There are suggestions that IVF per se, and pregnancy complications in IVF and SC have important adverse effects on future offspring cardio-metabolic health, but whether these associations are causal and if so their magnitude is unclear.
Our objectives are to accurately predict and identify causal paths for: (i) response to IVF; (ii) healthy pregnancy and perinatal outcomes in IVF and SC; and (iii) offspring cardio-metabolic health.
Methods
Our focus will primarily be on maternal smoking, physical activity, sleep patterns, adiposity, pregnancy metabolic profiles and fetal (cord-blood) DNA methylation as potential predictors or risk factors.
We will use data from detailed clinical and general pregnancy/birth cohorts. We will work with relevant consortia, including the EuroCHILD pan-European birth cohort that we are involved in establishing from 26 existing cohorts, early growth genetics (EGG) consortia, in which we co-lead maternal-offspring genetic analyses, the Genetics of Diabetes In Pregnancy (GENdip) consortia that we have recently developed, and the pregnancy/birth cohorts working group aligned to the Consortia Of METabolomics Studies (COMETS), which we lead, as well as the Pregnancy And Child Epigenetics (PACE) consortia, which we work closely with alongside Relton’s MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit programme. We will triangulate results across the following analytical methods applied to these data sources: multivariable regression (MV), Mendelian randomization (MR), non-genetic instrumental variable (IV) analyses, within sibship and negative control studies.
Translation
Building on our successful impact on clinical guidelines in the first five-years of this programme, we will continue to work with relevant clinicians, patient groups and NICE guideline developers. For new methodological developments we will provide and share datasets and code and widely disseminate these.
This is important because up to 40% or pregnancies are affected by one or more of miscarriage, stillbirth, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, preterm birth or delivery or a small or large for gestational aged infant, but we do not know the best way of preventing these. IVF is now the commonest treatment for infertility with >250K IVF cycles completed per year in the UK and on average 1 in 30 primary school children were born as a result of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Success rates vary by couple and treatment characteristics but are between 20-30%. There are suggestions that IVF per se, and pregnancy complications in IVF and SC have important adverse effects on future offspring cardio-metabolic health, but whether these associations are causal and if so their magnitude is unclear.
Our objectives are to accurately predict and identify causal paths for: (i) response to IVF; (ii) healthy pregnancy and perinatal outcomes in IVF and SC; and (iii) offspring cardio-metabolic health.
Methods
Our focus will primarily be on maternal smoking, physical activity, sleep patterns, adiposity, pregnancy metabolic profiles and fetal (cord-blood) DNA methylation as potential predictors or risk factors.
We will use data from detailed clinical and general pregnancy/birth cohorts. We will work with relevant consortia, including the EuroCHILD pan-European birth cohort that we are involved in establishing from 26 existing cohorts, early growth genetics (EGG) consortia, in which we co-lead maternal-offspring genetic analyses, the Genetics of Diabetes In Pregnancy (GENdip) consortia that we have recently developed, and the pregnancy/birth cohorts working group aligned to the Consortia Of METabolomics Studies (COMETS), which we lead, as well as the Pregnancy And Child Epigenetics (PACE) consortia, which we work closely with alongside Relton’s MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit programme. We will triangulate results across the following analytical methods applied to these data sources: multivariable regression (MV), Mendelian randomization (MR), non-genetic instrumental variable (IV) analyses, within sibship and negative control studies.
Translation
Building on our successful impact on clinical guidelines in the first five-years of this programme, we will continue to work with relevant clinicians, patient groups and NICE guideline developers. For new methodological developments we will provide and share datasets and code and widely disseminate these.
Organisations
- University of Bristol, United Kingdom (Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Southampton, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Collaboration)
- National University of Singapore, Singapore (Collaboration)
- Zoology Ecology and Plant Science (Collaboration)
- Imperial College London, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- University of Paris (Collaboration)
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (Collaboration)
- Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) (Collaboration)
- London Sch of Hygiene and Trop Medicine, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- University of Auckland, New Zealand (Collaboration)
- University of Amsterdam (Collaboration)
- University of Groningen (Collaboration)
- University of Oulu, Finland (Collaboration)
- Harvard University (Collaboration)
- University of Copenhagen, Denmark (Collaboration)
- University of Turin (Collaboration)
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Collaboration)
- King's College London, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
Debbie Lawlor (Principal Investigator) |
Publications

Abdulkadir M
(2020)
Polygenic Score for Body Mass Index Is Associated with Disordered Eating in a General Population Cohort.
in Journal of clinical medicine


Bird P
(2019)
Growing up in Bradford: protocol for the age 7-11 follow up of the Born in Bradford birth cohort
in BMC Public Health

Bond TA
(2020)
Exploring the role of genetic confounding in the association between maternal and offspring body mass index: evidence from three birth cohorts.
in International journal of epidemiology

Boyd A
(2019)
Data Resource Profile: The ALSPAC birth cohort as a platform to study the relationship of environment and health and social factors.
in International journal of epidemiology

Boyd A
(2020)
The potential for linking cohort participants to official criminal records: a pilot study using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)
in Wellcome Open Research


Carlsen EØ
(2020)
Stumped by the Hump: The Curious Rise and Fall of Norwegian Birthweights, 1991-2007.
in Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.)

Carslake D
(2019)
Associations of mortality with own blood pressure using son's blood pressure as an instrumental variable.
in Scientific reports

Carter A
(2020)
Role of the Metabolic Profile in Mediating the Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Left Ventricular Mass in Adolescents: Analysis of a Prospective Cohort Study
in Journal of the American Heart Association
Description | A longitudinal population-based study of the development of cardiovascular risk in early childhood |
Amount | $1,217,906 (AUD) |
Funding ID | APP1164212 |
Organisation | National Health and Medical Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | Australia |
Start | 10/2018 |
End | 09/2023 |
Description | BHF Accelerator award |
Amount | £1,000,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | AA/18/7/34219 |
Organisation | British Heart Foundation (BHF) |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2019 |
End | 03/2023 |
Description | Cardiometabolic health of women with and without adverse pregnancy outcomes: An electronic health records study |
Amount | £249,879 (GBP) |
Funding ID | PG/19/21/34190 |
Organisation | British Heart Foundation (BHF) |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2020 |
End | 12/2023 |
Description | Developing and Applying Statistical Genetics Methods to Elucidate the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease |
Amount | $327,387 (AUD) |
Funding ID | 1183074 |
Organisation | National Health and Medical Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | Australia |
Start | 01/2020 |
End | 12/2022 |
Description | Healthy Lives Malawi: Intergenerational Cohort of Chronic Conditions. |
Amount | £4,930,605 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 217013/Z/19/Z |
Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2019 |
End | 09/2024 |
Description | Identifying maternal and fetal genetic determinants of infant birthweight and their relationship to offspring cardiometabolic risk |
Amount | $367,992 (AUD) |
Funding ID | APP1157714 |
Organisation | National Health and Medical Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | Australia |
Start | 11/2018 |
End | 10/2023 |
Description | Innovating behaviour and health surveillance for cardiovascular disease prevention in Malaysia |
Amount | £281,479 (GBP) |
Funding ID | MR/T018984/1 |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 12/2019 |
End | 11/2021 |
Description | The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): A multi-generation, longitudinal resource focusing on life course health and well-being. |
Amount | £8,327,295 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 217065/Z/19/Z |
Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2019 |
End | 08/2024 |
Title | Mendelian Randomization Dictionary |
Description | An only easily searchable dictionary of Mendelian randomization methods, which we keep up to date and have a facility for users to inform us of updates or corrects they feel should be in the Dictionary We are currently working on making a web interface that supports greater interaction with it by users and an app |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Has been accessed over 4 million times; down loaded over 400 times & cited four times |
URL | https://osf.io/6yzs7/ |
Description | AR- Health |
Organisation | National University of Singapore |
Country | Singapore |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We lead this collaboration which is establishing data sources and methods to determine the causal effects of different forms of medical Artificial Reproduction on Health (AR-Health). We have identified relevant studies, harmonised data across them and developed the appropriate methods for analysing these data. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners are contributing data and expertise. |
Impact | The collaboration in multi-disciplinary, with expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, data science, law, and clinicians from reproductive health, obstetrics and neonatology. This is a new collaboration and too new to have had impact or publication outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | AR- Health |
Organisation | Norwegian Institute of Public Health |
Country | Norway |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We lead this collaboration which is establishing data sources and methods to determine the causal effects of different forms of medical Artificial Reproduction on Health (AR-Health). We have identified relevant studies, harmonised data across them and developed the appropriate methods for analysing these data. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners are contributing data and expertise. |
Impact | The collaboration in multi-disciplinary, with expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, data science, law, and clinicians from reproductive health, obstetrics and neonatology. This is a new collaboration and too new to have had impact or publication outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | AR- Health |
Organisation | University College Cork |
Country | Ireland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We lead this collaboration which is establishing data sources and methods to determine the causal effects of different forms of medical Artificial Reproduction on Health (AR-Health). We have identified relevant studies, harmonised data across them and developed the appropriate methods for analysing these data. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners are contributing data and expertise. |
Impact | The collaboration in multi-disciplinary, with expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, data science, law, and clinicians from reproductive health, obstetrics and neonatology. This is a new collaboration and too new to have had impact or publication outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | AR- Health |
Organisation | University of Amsterdam |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We lead this collaboration which is establishing data sources and methods to determine the causal effects of different forms of medical Artificial Reproduction on Health (AR-Health). We have identified relevant studies, harmonised data across them and developed the appropriate methods for analysing these data. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners are contributing data and expertise. |
Impact | The collaboration in multi-disciplinary, with expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, data science, law, and clinicians from reproductive health, obstetrics and neonatology. This is a new collaboration and too new to have had impact or publication outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | AR- Health |
Organisation | University of Auckland |
Country | New Zealand |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We lead this collaboration which is establishing data sources and methods to determine the causal effects of different forms of medical Artificial Reproduction on Health (AR-Health). We have identified relevant studies, harmonised data across them and developed the appropriate methods for analysing these data. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners are contributing data and expertise. |
Impact | The collaboration in multi-disciplinary, with expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, data science, law, and clinicians from reproductive health, obstetrics and neonatology. This is a new collaboration and too new to have had impact or publication outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | AR- Health |
Organisation | University of Copenhagen |
Country | Denmark |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We lead this collaboration which is establishing data sources and methods to determine the causal effects of different forms of medical Artificial Reproduction on Health (AR-Health). We have identified relevant studies, harmonised data across them and developed the appropriate methods for analysing these data. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners are contributing data and expertise. |
Impact | The collaboration in multi-disciplinary, with expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, data science, law, and clinicians from reproductive health, obstetrics and neonatology. This is a new collaboration and too new to have had impact or publication outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | AR- Health |
Organisation | University of Paris |
Country | France |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We lead this collaboration which is establishing data sources and methods to determine the causal effects of different forms of medical Artificial Reproduction on Health (AR-Health). We have identified relevant studies, harmonised data across them and developed the appropriate methods for analysing these data. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners are contributing data and expertise. |
Impact | The collaboration in multi-disciplinary, with expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, data science, law, and clinicians from reproductive health, obstetrics and neonatology. This is a new collaboration and too new to have had impact or publication outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | AR- Health |
Organisation | University of Southampton |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We lead this collaboration which is establishing data sources and methods to determine the causal effects of different forms of medical Artificial Reproduction on Health (AR-Health). We have identified relevant studies, harmonised data across them and developed the appropriate methods for analysing these data. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners are contributing data and expertise. |
Impact | The collaboration in multi-disciplinary, with expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, data science, law, and clinicians from reproductive health, obstetrics and neonatology. This is a new collaboration and too new to have had impact or publication outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | AR- Health |
Organisation | University of Turin |
Country | Italy |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We lead this collaboration which is establishing data sources and methods to determine the causal effects of different forms of medical Artificial Reproduction on Health (AR-Health). We have identified relevant studies, harmonised data across them and developed the appropriate methods for analysing these data. |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners are contributing data and expertise. |
Impact | The collaboration in multi-disciplinary, with expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, data science, law, and clinicians from reproductive health, obstetrics and neonatology. This is a new collaboration and too new to have had impact or publication outputs yet. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | LifeCycle - IVF cohort |
Organisation | Barcelona Institute for Global Health |
Country | Spain |
Sector | Multiple |
PI Contribution | We are the central organisers of the collaboration. We draft analysis plans, share these with partners, undertake individual participant study analyses and meta-analyses of data across all studies. We will write the first draft of initial papers and redraft following in put from partners |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners: 1. Contribute to the development of analysis plans 2. Provide individual participant data or summary results 3. Contribute to drafting manuscripts |
Impact | Too early for outputs |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | LifeCycle - IVF cohort |
Organisation | Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We are the central organisers of the collaboration. We draft analysis plans, share these with partners, undertake individual participant study analyses and meta-analyses of data across all studies. We will write the first draft of initial papers and redraft following in put from partners |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners: 1. Contribute to the development of analysis plans 2. Provide individual participant data or summary results 3. Contribute to drafting manuscripts |
Impact | Too early for outputs |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | LifeCycle - IVF cohort |
Organisation | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are the central organisers of the collaboration. We draft analysis plans, share these with partners, undertake individual participant study analyses and meta-analyses of data across all studies. We will write the first draft of initial papers and redraft following in put from partners |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners: 1. Contribute to the development of analysis plans 2. Provide individual participant data or summary results 3. Contribute to drafting manuscripts |
Impact | Too early for outputs |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | LifeCycle - IVF cohort |
Organisation | Norwegian Institute of Public Health |
Country | Norway |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | We are the central organisers of the collaboration. We draft analysis plans, share these with partners, undertake individual participant study analyses and meta-analyses of data across all studies. We will write the first draft of initial papers and redraft following in put from partners |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners: 1. Contribute to the development of analysis plans 2. Provide individual participant data or summary results 3. Contribute to drafting manuscripts |
Impact | Too early for outputs |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | LifeCycle - IVF cohort |
Organisation | University of Copenhagen |
Country | Denmark |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are the central organisers of the collaboration. We draft analysis plans, share these with partners, undertake individual participant study analyses and meta-analyses of data across all studies. We will write the first draft of initial papers and redraft following in put from partners |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners: 1. Contribute to the development of analysis plans 2. Provide individual participant data or summary results 3. Contribute to drafting manuscripts |
Impact | Too early for outputs |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | LifeCycle - IVF cohort |
Organisation | University of Groningen |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are the central organisers of the collaboration. We draft analysis plans, share these with partners, undertake individual participant study analyses and meta-analyses of data across all studies. We will write the first draft of initial papers and redraft following in put from partners |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners: 1. Contribute to the development of analysis plans 2. Provide individual participant data or summary results 3. Contribute to drafting manuscripts |
Impact | Too early for outputs |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | LifeCycle - IVF cohort |
Organisation | University of Southampton |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are the central organisers of the collaboration. We draft analysis plans, share these with partners, undertake individual participant study analyses and meta-analyses of data across all studies. We will write the first draft of initial papers and redraft following in put from partners |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners: 1. Contribute to the development of analysis plans 2. Provide individual participant data or summary results 3. Contribute to drafting manuscripts |
Impact | Too early for outputs |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | LifeCycle - IVF cohort |
Organisation | University of Turin |
Country | Italy |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are the central organisers of the collaboration. We draft analysis plans, share these with partners, undertake individual participant study analyses and meta-analyses of data across all studies. We will write the first draft of initial papers and redraft following in put from partners |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners: 1. Contribute to the development of analysis plans 2. Provide individual participant data or summary results 3. Contribute to drafting manuscripts |
Impact | Too early for outputs |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | MR-PREG |
Organisation | Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Our contributions are: 1. Draft analysis plans 2. Complete analyses 3. Draft papers 4. Support other partners to lead projects |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners contribute to: 1. Analysis plans. So far these have been initially written by my group but partners make important contributions to revising the first draft (before we begin analyses) and to any decisions about any revisions after analyses have started 2. Data provision and/or analyses. Participants provide individual participant data for analyses in Bristol and/or undertake analyses in their groups and provide summary results 3. Critical comments on drafted papers |
Impact | Analyses have been completed but no publications yet. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | MR-PREG |
Organisation | Harvard University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Our contributions are: 1. Draft analysis plans 2. Complete analyses 3. Draft papers 4. Support other partners to lead projects |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners contribute to: 1. Analysis plans. So far these have been initially written by my group but partners make important contributions to revising the first draft (before we begin analyses) and to any decisions about any revisions after analyses have started 2. Data provision and/or analyses. Participants provide individual participant data for analyses in Bristol and/or undertake analyses in their groups and provide summary results 3. Critical comments on drafted papers |
Impact | Analyses have been completed but no publications yet. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | MR-PREG |
Organisation | Imperial College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Our contributions are: 1. Draft analysis plans 2. Complete analyses 3. Draft papers 4. Support other partners to lead projects |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners contribute to: 1. Analysis plans. So far these have been initially written by my group but partners make important contributions to revising the first draft (before we begin analyses) and to any decisions about any revisions after analyses have started 2. Data provision and/or analyses. Participants provide individual participant data for analyses in Bristol and/or undertake analyses in their groups and provide summary results 3. Critical comments on drafted papers |
Impact | Analyses have been completed but no publications yet. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | MR-PREG |
Organisation | Norwegian Institute of Public Health |
Country | Norway |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Our contributions are: 1. Draft analysis plans 2. Complete analyses 3. Draft papers 4. Support other partners to lead projects |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners contribute to: 1. Analysis plans. So far these have been initially written by my group but partners make important contributions to revising the first draft (before we begin analyses) and to any decisions about any revisions after analyses have started 2. Data provision and/or analyses. Participants provide individual participant data for analyses in Bristol and/or undertake analyses in their groups and provide summary results 3. Critical comments on drafted papers |
Impact | Analyses have been completed but no publications yet. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | MR-PREG |
Organisation | University of Copenhagen |
Country | Denmark |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Our contributions are: 1. Draft analysis plans 2. Complete analyses 3. Draft papers 4. Support other partners to lead projects |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners contribute to: 1. Analysis plans. So far these have been initially written by my group but partners make important contributions to revising the first draft (before we begin analyses) and to any decisions about any revisions after analyses have started 2. Data provision and/or analyses. Participants provide individual participant data for analyses in Bristol and/or undertake analyses in their groups and provide summary results 3. Critical comments on drafted papers |
Impact | Analyses have been completed but no publications yet. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | MR-PREG |
Organisation | University of Oulu |
Country | Finland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Our contributions are: 1. Draft analysis plans 2. Complete analyses 3. Draft papers 4. Support other partners to lead projects |
Collaborator Contribution | Partners contribute to: 1. Analysis plans. So far these have been initially written by my group but partners make important contributions to revising the first draft (before we begin analyses) and to any decisions about any revisions after analyses have started 2. Data provision and/or analyses. Participants provide individual participant data for analyses in Bristol and/or undertake analyses in their groups and provide summary results 3. Critical comments on drafted papers |
Impact | Analyses have been completed but no publications yet. |
Start Year | 2018 |
Description | UCLEB |
Organisation | London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | One of the key partners Collaboration is concerned with the use of genetics in risk prediction and aetiology (Mendelian randomization) of cardiometabolic disease. Includes the use of metabolomics |
Collaborator Contribution | As above |
Impact | Large number of publications - See CV |
Start Year | 2007 |
Description | UCLEB |
Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | One of the key partners Collaboration is concerned with the use of genetics in risk prediction and aetiology (Mendelian randomization) of cardiometabolic disease. Includes the use of metabolomics |
Collaborator Contribution | As above |
Impact | Large number of publications - See CV |
Start Year | 2007 |
Description | UPBEAT RCT |
Organisation | King's College London |
Department | Women's Health Academic Centre |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I am a co-applicant on a recently obtained MRC grant related to adding metabolomics data to this RCT I will lead analyses of this RCT and the LIMIT RCT (see other entry) in relation to long term mother and offspring outcomes in particular adiposity and metabolomics outcomes. |
Collaborator Contribution | See entry for LIMIT RCT collaboration |
Impact | Successful grant Poston L, Lawlor DA, Nelson SM, Sattar N. The UPBEAT RCT mother-child study. Stratifying and treating obese pregnant women to prevent adverse pregnancy, perinatal and longer term outcomes. MRC £825, 398: February 2014 for 48 months Published book chapter: Fraser A, Lawlor DA. Long-term consequences of maternal obesity and gestational weight gain for offspring obesity and cardiovascular risk - intrauterine or shared familial mechanisms? In: Poston L, Gillman M (eds). Obesity and Pregnancy. Cambridge Press. 2012 |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | Pilot study with 'We the Curious' and public scientific museum |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We the curious is a science museum in Bristol. We are doing a pilot project with them that will enable us to determine the youngest age (in children) at which it is feasible to capture data on capillary glycocalix through an imaging technology. The data assessment requires a probe to be placed under the child's tongue for 7-10 minutes to capture sufficient image data. We worked with We the Curious to agree the recruitment and data collection protocol. Older children / young adults (14-19 year old) will collect data and with our support do analyses. The results will provide the answer we need and all data will be destroyed once analyses are completed. We will use the results to decide the age groups in ALSPAC G2 and in other cohorts (e.g. in Bradford) in which we will collect these data. We the curious are keen to work on other projects with us and to build stronger links with the University for mutual benefit with respect to public engagement and involvement. This current project is the first project with them. Hopefully, it will lead to many further projects. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Published a paper on environmental data collection in ALSPAC birth cohort with two ALSPAC participants as co-authors |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This was a unique experience of real participant/public involvement - working with two of the study participants to document all of the environmental and social data in ALSPAC, priorities for new data and methods for collecting these. The participant co-authors contributed to all aspects of the paper, including describing the methods for collecting data (including burden on them) for existing data, advising on what they would consider key priorities for future data collection and the best methods for collecting those data. Publication is Boyd A, Thomas R, Hansell AL, Gulliver J, Hicks LM, Griggs R, Hey JV, Taylor CM, Morris T, Golding J, Doerner R, Fecht D, Henderson J, Lawlor DA, Timpson NJ, Macleod J, Data Resource Profile: The ALSPAC birth cohort as a platform to study the relationship of environment and health and social factors International Journal of Epidemiology 2019; doi: 10.1093/ije/dyz063 This experience forms a blueprint for further co-production research with other cohort participants |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/48/4/1038/5475780 |
Description | You-tube video describing the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children - Generation 2 cohort and its contribution to research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | I produced a you-tube video with ALSPAC study participants and staff who collect data in ALSPAC, to inform a wide range of people about the value of the multi-generational ALSPAC study and the research it has contributed to. We also promoted the importance of population health studies such as ALSPAC in general. The video can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQtnmCNgmXI |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQtnmCNgmXI |