Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT03765684

Factors Affecting Newborn Body Composition and Later Health in Helsinki Birth Cohort 2018-2022

In Helsinki Birth Cohort 2018-2022 a large, longitudinal and well-phenotyped birth cohort of infants and their parents will be established. Mothers, fathers/spouses and their children in Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District are recruited in the study and newborn composition of the children born in Helsinki Women's Hospital will be measured. Data on maternal and paternal diet quality, physical activity and depression during and after pregnancy will be collected and data from the hospital and national registers will be collected. Health of offspring and parents will be followed during their later life.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

HUS Women's hospital, Helsinki Unversity Hospital

Helsinki, 00029, Finland

About this study

Helsinki Birth Cohort 2018-2022 (HeBiCo) study is designed to find evidence between various intrauterine exposures and offspring adiposity and later health. It will be examined how different maternal (e.g. chronic diseases, ethnicity, BMI), and obstetric factors (e.g. gestational weight gain, diagnoses during pregnancy) as well as parental lifestyle and psychological aspects (e.g. diet quality, physical activity, depression and anxiety) are associated with newborn body composition and later health (e.g. obesity and neurocognitive health).

In the first phase of the study the participants are recruited on postnatal ward after delivery. The umbilical cord blood sample will be collected of all the neonates. After a consent the participants fill in the digital background, food frequency, depression and physical activity questionnaires. If the parents do not give their consent, the umbilical cord blood sample will be destroyed. Body composition of offspring will be assessed within 72 hours after birth. Registry data will be collected.

The second phase of the HeBiCo study is based on the HUS WomensHub treatment path and/or Apotti platform. The second phase of the HeBiCo constitutes of the mother-child pairs (and fathers/spouses) whose pregnancy can be followed from the early pregnancy to the end of the pregnancy through treatment path. Body composition of offspring born in Helsinki Women's Hospital will be assessed within 72 hours after birth.

The future studies will include 1) the intervention studies with digital service concept through WomensHub platform, and 2) the follow-up studies of offspring and parents in later life (to establish e.g. growth trajectories and later metabolic health of offspring).

The first phase of the HeBiCo study was registered 3/2018.

The second phase will be registered now.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Mothers, fathers/spouses and offspring in Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District.

Exclusion criteria

Inability to communicate in Finnish language

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Neonatal body fat %

    Time frame: Within 72 hours of birth

    Measured with PEA POD Cosmed® Infant Body Composition Assessment system

Secondary outcomes

  1. Newborn weight

    Time frame: Within 2 hours of birth

    Birth weight in kilograms

  2. Newborn height

    Time frame: Within 2 hours of birth

    Birth height in meters

  3. ASQ-3

    Time frame: 3 months, 1 year and 2 years of age

    Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3

  4. ITSEA

    Time frame: 3 months, 1 year and 2 years of age

    Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Helsinki University Central Hospital

Other

Collaborators

  • Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare
  • UKK Institute
  • University of Helsinki

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of Various Parental and Gestational Factors on Offspring Body Composition and Health in Later Life in Helsinki Birth Cohort 2018-2022

Acronym: HeBiCo

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2026
First posted
Dec 5, 2018
Registry last updated
Mar 12, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.