Cohort Profile: The EDEN mother-child cohort on the prenatal and early postnatal determinants of child health and development

Barbara Heude, Anne Forhan, Rémy Slama, Lorraine Douhaud, Sophie Bedel, Marie-Josèphe Saurel-Cubizolles, Régis Hankard, Olivier Thiebaugeorges, Maria De Agostini, Isabella Annesi-Maesano, Monique Kaminski, Marie-Aline Charles
2015 International Journal of Epidemiology  
s hypothesis suggests that health in adulthood can be influenced by events occurring during the developmental period. 1 Studies from various parts of the world have shown associations between low birthweight with adult pathological conditions such as hypertension, insulin-resistance, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. In animals, experiments have also corroborated that events occurring at an early stage in an organism still immature, such as the fetus or the infant, can affect health later on. 2
more » ... During the late 1990s and early 2000s, more and more emphasis has been placed on the role of nutrition in the first months of life, in addition to or rather than prenatal nutrition and environmental pollutants, as a potential determinant of later health in humans. 3, 4 The increase in the prevalence of obesity in most countries has also raised concerns as more and more young women enter pregnancy with excessive weight. Overweight in future mothers is a risk factor for gestational diabetes, a condition that has also been associated with obesity and glucose intolerance in the offspring later in life. 5 Some of the early factors, such as alcohol consumption or smoking during pregnancy, or restricted intrauterine growth, influence many aspects of the health and development of the child. 6-8 A better knowledge of the prenatal factors affecting later health and of the potential interactions between pre-and postnatal factors requires prospective studies starting from pregnancy. In this context, the overall objective of the EDEN study (study on the pre-and early postnatal determinants of child health and development) was to examine the relations and potential interactions between maternal exposures and health status during pregnancy, fetal development, health status of the infant at birth and the child's health and development.
doi:10.1093/ije/dyv151 pmid:26283636 fatcat:ttxaw5jbifegjiaptj3my7qhl4