Lifeways
Lifeways is a long term project which allows us to follow people over a period of time. The study is different in that it is ‘cross-generation’ – some families have three generations taking part – and we have a particular interest in looking at the effect of food and nutrition on health. The study started in 2000 and the first families were recruited in 2001. At the beginning over a thousand mothers at ante-natal clinics in the Coombe University Hospital Dublin and in University College Hospital Galway agreed to take part. These pregnancies resulted in 1092 ‘index’ babies and their mothers, including 12 pairs of twins. Over nine hundred families also provided information on fathers and grandparents as well. We have been following the children’s health and development ever since, including when children were 3, 5 and now 9 years old. As well as the more formal information we collect, we like to hear how the children are getting on, including pictures, stories and news about their lives.