Information for Routine Participants

Research shows that the development of many serious diseases may occur as early as in the womb. So what happens in pregnancy, or even our parents' health, can increase our risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, allergies and poor mental health developing in later life.

In 2017, ORIGINS was created to determine the impact of the early environment on the development of chronic disease. The largest study of its kind in Australia, ORIGINS is following 10,000 families from pregnancy, throughout childhood, with the vision to: 

1. Pinpoint what early environment factors are influencing the development of chronic disease 
2. Develop targeted, more effective prevention and intervention strategies that support all families to flourish throughout life 

ORIGINS is composed of 4,000 full participant families - who attend Kids Check appointments, complete questionnaires, provide biological samples, and participate in other research projects - and 6,000 routine participant families. 

To date, ORIGINS has over 30 million points in our Databank, and over 400,000 biological samples in our Biobank. To visualise this, that's:

• Enough blood to fill a commercial refrigerator
• Enough stool to fill one and a half washing machines 
• Enough dust to fill three bathtubs 

Routine participant families consented to join the study when they gave birth at Joondalup Health Campus. Their participation includes access to hospital records (antenatal care, birth outcomes and hospital stay), relevant Western Pathology results from that period, and linked Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medication data. 

Protecting Participants' Privacy

Since routine participants provided consent to join ORIGINS, their data has been de-identified and securely stored in software at The Kids Research Institute Australia (previously Telethon Kids Institute). 

Only necessary investigators have access to this data after rigorous ethical review, and data can only be accessed via ORIGINS' secure database with password protected devices.

Protecting ORIGINS family's privacy, who generously provide their time and information to ORIGINS, is of the utmost importance to our team.

When families joined ORIGINS as a routine participants, no appointments or follow-up information were required. 

However, now that ORIGINS children are entering school, we want to ensure ORIGINS' research priorities reflect the real experiences and health concerns of everyday Australian families. 

We're now inviting our routine participants to share a brief update about their family's health and wellbeing. This will include:

• Confirming your contact details (for example, your email, mobile, and residential address)
• General questions about your child's health (for example, allergies, sleep, nutrition, and development)

As a way to thank families who generously provide an update, they'll go into the monthly draw to win a $500 Coles e-voucher. 

SHARE YOUR UPDATE NOW

There is no expectation for routine participants to provide an update about their family's health, and they can provide as much, or as little, information as they're comfortable with.

All information gathered will be de-identified, stored securely, and used to create a more accurate snapshot of the health concerns facing Australian families. For example, information about where you live may be used in geo-targeting in research projects comparing the environmental factors influencing children living in the Perth metro versus those living in regional communities.