Radwan, Hadia, Mona Hashim, Reyad Shaker Obaid et al., “The Mother-Infant Study Cohort (MISC): Methodology, Challenges, and Baseline Characteristics,” PLOS One 13, no.5 (May 2018), doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0198278

URL: journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0198278

Abstract

Background: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) exhibits alarming high prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors. Emerging evidence highlighted the role of maternal and early child nutrition in preventing later-onset NCDs. The objectives of this article are to describe the design and methodology of the first Mother and Infant Study Cohort (MISC) in UAE; present the baseline demographic characteristics of the study participants; and discuss the challenges of the cohort and their respective responding strategies.

Methods: The MISC is an ongoing two-year prospective cohort study which recruited Arab pregnant women in their third trimester from prenatal clinics in Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman. Participants will be interviewed six times (once during pregnancy, at delivery, and at 2, 6, 12 and 24 months postpartum). Perinatal information is obtained from hospital records. Collected data include socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle, dietary intake and anthropometry; infant feeding practices, cognitive development; along with maternal and infant blood profile and breast milk profile.

Results: The preliminary results reported that 256 completed baseline assessment (mean age: 30.5±6.0 years; 76.6% multiparous; about 60% were either overweight or obese before pregnancy). The prevalence of gestational diabetes was 19.2%. Upon delivery, 208 women-infant pairs were retained (mean gestational age: 38.5±1.5 weeks; 33.3% caesarean section delivery; 5.3% low birthweight; 5.7% macrosomic deliveries). Besides participant retention, the main encountered challenges pertained to cultural complexity, underestimation the necessary start-up time, staff, and costs, and biochemical data collection.

Conclusions: Despite numerous methodological, logistical and sociocultural challenges, satisfactory follow-up rates are recorded. Strategies addressing challenges are documented, providing information for planning and implementing future birth cohort studies locally and internationally.

As the authors note in the article, the importance of this study on the relationship between maternal and infant nutrition needs and practices as they correlate to non-communicable diseases lies in it being “the first effort in the UAE, and among the very first research projects in the Arab world, to prospectively address key questions related to women and children’s health… Accordingly, it is anticipated to generate results that overcome available evidence in the UAE, which is mostly focused on adults and limited by its cross-sectional nature.” This well-designed, prospective cohort study demonstrated that a large-scale study is possible.