AQUA: Asking Questions about Alcohol in Pregnancy Study
Synopsis
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and health and development of index child at birth and 12-24 months of age.
Summary
| Study name | Asking Questions about Alcohol in Pregnancy Study |
| Study abbreviation | AQUA |
| Current principal investigator/s |
Prof Peter Anderson Group Leader/Honorary Fellow Manager of Victorian Infant Brain Studies (VIBeS), Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), Melbourne Prof Jane Halliday NHMRC Senior Research Fellow, Public Health Genetics, MCRI, Melbourne |
| Current project manager | Evelyne Muggli |
| Cohort representative (study contact) |
Evelyne Muggli
|
| Postal address |
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The Royal Children’s Hospital, 50 Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052 Australia
|
| Phone | +613 83416260 |
| Primary Institution | Murdoch Children’s Research Institute – MCRI The Royal Children’s Hospital – RCH |
| Collaborating Institution/s |
Monash University University of Sydney University of Melbourne La Trobe University |
| Major funding sources | National Health and Medical Research Council – NHMRC VicHealth McCusker Charitable Foundation The Jack Brockhoff Foundation Financial Markets Foundation for Children |
| Study website | mcri.edu.au/research/projects/aqua-study |
| Key reference |
Muggli, E., Halliday, J., Elliot, E. J., Penington, A., Thompson, D., Spittle, A. J., Forster, D., Lewis, S., Hearps, S., and Anderson, P. (2022). Cohort profile: early school years follow-up of the Asking Questions about Alcohol in Pregnancy Longitudinal Study in Melbourne, Australia (AQUA at 6). BMJ Open, 12.
|
| Are data available outside study team? | Not at present |
| Study focus | AQUA has collected detailed information about alcohol consumption during pregnancy from nearly 1,600 pregnant women to assess the impact of different amounts of alcohol on the unborn child. The study aims to explore whether alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and other maternal factors are associated with problems in the health and development of young children |
| Sampling frame | Participants were recruited through antenatal clinics in 2011-12, from the Mercy Hospital for Women, Royal Women’s Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, Dandenong Hospital, Casey Hospital or Box Hill Hospital. Participants were less than 19 weeks pregnant with a single baby at the time of enrolment. |
| Year commenced | 2011 |
| Commencement sample |
AQUA Stage 1: 2146 AQUA at 6: 1342 |
| Intergenerational? | No |
| Imaging |
AQUA 1: Children had a 3D photograph of their head and face at 12 months of age. AQUA at 6: Children were invited to have 3D photograph of their head and face. A subset of children also had an MRI brain scan. |
| Linkage |
A subsample of children who participated in the AQUA at 6 were linked to the Australian Early Developmental Census (AEDC)
|
| Biosamples? |
AQUA Stage 1: maternal buccal swab, placental biopsy, cord blood mononuclear cells, or neonatal buccal swab. AQUA at 6: Child buccal swab |
Waves
| Wave | Year | Age (mean, range) | Eligible sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011-2012 | < 19 weeks gestation | 2146 completed a questionnaire |
| 2 | 2011-2012 | 26 weeks gestation | 1715 completed a questionnaire |
| 3 | 2011-2012 | 36 weeks gestation | 1571 completed a questionnaire |
| 4 | 2013-2014 | 12 months old (includes birth) |
Of 1566 eligible (not withdrawn): 1296 completed the questionnaire. 518 child craniofacial 3D images |
| 5 | 2014-2015 | 2 years |
Of 1519 eligible (not withdrawn): 1038 completed the questionnaire. 564 completed the developmental assessment. |
| Aqua@6 | 2018-2020 | 6-7 years |
Of 1342 eligible (not withdrawn): 802 parents completed the survey 696 children completed the developmental assessment |