Huge health study poised to recruit its final volunteers

On Christmas Eve, Born in Bradford will issue its last invitations to new mothers to join nearly 14,000 who are already part of the project.

The study is examining the potential causes of a range of problems including the causes of diabetes, asthma and eczema, obesity, heart disease, sudden infant death syndrome and high infant mortality rates in Bradford.

It will follow children through their early years and into adulthood.

The first findings are due to be published next year and are expected to have international implications as doctors attempt to unravel the complex genetic, lifestyle, social and environmental factors involved in disease.

Its director, Prof John Wright, said: "Four years ago we launched Born in Bradford more in hope than expectation and at the time we were worried that we would struggle to recruit 1,000 let alone 10,000 families.

"We now have important, priceless information about the health and disease – from birth – of almost 14,000 local families.

"Over the coming years, we will be able to piece together these clues to discover what aspects of daily life and lifestyle choices people make that might contribute to childhood and adult illness and how we can improve the health of the people of Bradford.

"The study has attracted a huge amount of interest from all over the world, but more importantly from all across the city where support has been overwhelming – we should have called the study Brilliant in Bradford."

The original target of 10,000 babies was reached in February but it was decided to continue signing up new volunteers until Christmas. Around 60 per cent of all women giving birth at Bradford Royal Infirmary since recruitment began have joined the study.

More than 1,000 medical, social and environmental details are taken from each mother and samples are taken from both parents and in cord blood from babies.

Children are visited in their early years so other details can be recorded including their height and weight and mothers are asked questions about their health and of their children including information about sleep patterns, diet, exercise and mental health.

Lead research midwife Dagmar Waiblinger said: "It has been an amazing journey and a real achievement for the research team who have worked so hard over the last three years. We look forward to discovering the results when they start to come in around spring 2011."

Sameera Ali, a study administrator, said parents had shown a great deal of goodwill in providing a "wealth of data".

"We have mums coming back to give blood samples and complete lengthy questionnaires for a second and even third time because they have felt so positive about the project," she added.