title: Implementation of the INTERGROWTH-21st Project in the UK.
abstract: There are approximately 10,000 births per year in the county of Oxfordshire in the UK, which is one of the two European sites for the International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21(st) Century (INTERGROWTH-21(st) ) Project. The samples for both components of the project--the Fetal Growth Longitudinal Study (FGLS) and Newborn Cross-Sectional Study (NCSS)--were drawn from the John Radcliffe Hospital, a major university hospital with a large regional role that covers more than 75% of deliveries in the county. Special activities to encourage participation in this population included the formation of a research coalition to streamline recruitment in the Maternity Unit and the distribution of study information leaflets to women using the hospital's antenatal care service. This was a demanding project and several challenges were overcome to reach recruitment targets and to maintain high standards of data quality. Amongst the major challenges for FGLS at this study site was the level of ineligibility because of maternal age, smoking and body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30. The major challenge for the NCSS field teams was to ensure that all anthropometric data were collected before the early discharge of uncomplicated deliveries, often within 6 hours of birth. It is evident from our experience in implementing this project that, when large-scale clinical studies are meticulously planned and avoid major disruption to routine clinical care, they are well received by hospital staff and can contribute to the improvement of the overall standard of clinical care.
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Dipartimento di Scienze Pediatriche e dell'Adolescenza, Cattedra di Neonatologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Roseman
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giuliani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Nicola
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laister
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roseman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Burnham
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Puglia
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Blakey
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cheikh Ismail
mesh_terms: D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D002657:Child Development; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development; D057238:Growth Charts; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development*; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000254:growth & development; D008137:Longitudinal Studies / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D018579:Patient Selection; D011247:Pregnancy; D011786:Quality Control; D012107:Research Design; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Fetal growth; INTERGROWTH-21st; nutrition; standards