title: The LIFE child study: a life course approach to disease and health.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Profound knowledge about child growth, development, health, and disease in contemporary children and adolescents is still rare. Epidemiological studies together with new powerful research technologies present exciting opportunities to the elucidation of risk factor-outcome associations with potentially major consequences for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To conduct a unique prospective longitudinal cohort study in order to assess how environmental, metabolic and genetic factors affect growth, development and health from fetal life to adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 'Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Diseases (LIFE) Child Study' focuses on two main research objectives: (1) monitoring of normal growth, development and health; (2) non-communicable diseases such as childhood obesity and its co-morbidities, atopy and mental health problems. Detailed assessments will be conducted alongside long-term storage of biological samples in 2,000 pregnant women and more than 10,000 children and their families.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Close coordination and engagement of a multidisciplinary team in the LIFE Child study successfully established procedures and systems for balancing many competing study and ethical needs. Full participant recruitment and complete data collection started in July 2011. Early data indicate a high acceptance rate of the study program, successful recruitment strategies and the establishment of a representative cohort for the population of Leipzig. A series of subprojects are ongoing, and analyses and publications are on their way.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper addresses key elements in the design and implementation of the new prospective longitudinal cohort study LIFE Child. Given the recognized need for long-term data on adverse effects on health and protective factors, our study data collection should provide magnificent opportunities to examine complex interactions that govern the emergence of non-communicable diseases.
authors.affiliation: LIFE Leipzig Research Centre for Civilization Diseases, University of Leipzig, Philipp-Rosenthalstrasse 27, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. contact@life.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Mirja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quante
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hesse
authors.forename: Mirko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Döhnert
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sergeyev
authors.forename: Nora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Casprzig
authors.forename: Mandy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geserick
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naumann
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Matthew A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sabin
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hiemisch
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Körner
authors.forename: Wieland
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kiess
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D048788:Growth and Development / Q000502:physiology*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult