Gomeroi gaaynggal study
Synopsis
Indigenous Australians have high rates of chronic diseases, the causes of which are complex and include social and environmental determinants. Early experiences in utero may also predispose to later-life disease development. The Gomeroi Gaaynggal Study was established to explore intrauterine origins of renal disease, diabetes and growth in order to inform the development of health programmes for Indigenous Australian women and children. Pregnant women were recruited from antenatal clinics in Tamworth, Newcastle and Walgett, New South Wales, Australia, by Indigenous research assistants. Since 2010 the study has recruited over 400 women and retained over 180 mothers postpartum. Recruitment was paused from 2019-2022 and will start again in Tamworth in 2023. The Gomeroi Gaaynggal Study is currently the largest Indigenous pregnancy-through-early-childhood cohort internationally.
Summary
| Study name | Gomeroi gaaynggal study |
| Study abbreviation | NA |
| Current principal investigator/s | Assoc/Prof Kirsty Pringle |
| Current project manager | Assoc/Prof Kirsty Pringle |
| Cohort representative (study contact) | Assoc/Prof Kirsty Pringle |
| Phone | +61 2 4042 0372 |
| kirsty.pringle@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Primary Institution | University of Newcastle |
| Major funding sources |
NHMRC (grant numbers: 569239, 1026733, 1063123); Prime Minister and Cabinet Department The Hunter Medical Research Institute Susan Alberti Medical Research Foundation Leslie Family Foundation Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Ikara-Flinders Ranges Kidney Health Australia Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs The University of Newcastle |
| Study website | gomeroibabies.org.au |
| Key reference |
Ashman, A. M., Collins, C. E., Weatherall, L., Brown, L. J., Rollo, M. E., Clausen, D., … & Lumbers, E. R. (2016). A cohort of Indigenous Australian women and their children through pregnancy and beyond: the Gomeroi gaaynggal study. Journal of developmental origins of health and disease, 7(4), 357-368. doi: 10.1017/S204017441600009X |
| Study focus | The Gomeroi gaaynggal (babies from Gomeroi lands) program works in partnership with Aboriginal women in New South Wales during their pregnancy and after delivery to improve health outcomes, and the understanding of issues that impact on their health and the future health of their children |
| Sampling frame | Mother-child dyads who identified as Indigenous Australians or who deliver an Indigenous infant in Tamworth and Walgett, NSW Australia. |
| Year commenced | 2010 |
| Intergenerational? | Yes |
| Imaging | Yes |
| Linkage | No |
| Biosamples? | Yes |
Waves
| Wave | Year | Age (mean, range) | Eligible sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2010 – 2019 | Pregnancy/postpartum | 425/181 |
| 2 | 2010 – 2019 | Infancy & Childhood | 177 |