The Vitamin D in Pregnancy Study: a prospective prebirth cohort in southern Australia.

PURPOSE: The Vitamin D in Pregnancy Study is a long-term ongoing cohort study. It was conceived to explore relationships between maternal vitamin D status in pregnancy and offspring growth and development, and has since diversified to include a wide range of physical and mental health exposures and outcomes.

PARTICIPANTS

Recruitment was from the University Hospital Geelong (Barwon Health) antenatal clinic, Geelong, Victoria, Australia, between 2002 and 2004. 475 women were initially recruited, which resulted in 400 eligible mother-child pairs at birth.

FINDINGS TO DATE: The cohort has been followed up twice in pregnancy, at birth, and 1 year, 6 years and 11 years post birth. The study has reported an association between vitamin D in pregnancy and musculoskeletal health and body composition in the children.

FUTURE PLANS: Subject to funding, there will be a prospective young adult follow-up. This profile aims to foster both cross-national and international collaborations with both existing and future data collection.