Environments for Healthy Living, Griffith Study of Population Health: Longitudinal Birth Cohort Study, Child Development and Health.

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The longitudinal birth cohort study Environments for Healthy Living (EFHL) is designed to collect information from before birth through to 25 years of age across a spectrum of eco-epidemiological factors, including but not limited to, genetic material from cord-blood samples at birth, individual and familial factors to spatial data on the living environment. The EFHL study has had an annual four month recruitment of mothers since 2006. Detailed information on each participant is obtained at birth, 12-months, 3 years, five years and at subsequent three to five yearly intervals. Data collected is centred on both mother and child and includes questions about nutrition, parenting style, psychological factors, child behaviour, physical activity, attachment behaviours, quality of life, illnesses and injuries, health outcomes, utilisation of health care services, and socioeconomic factors (e.g. income, education, family structure and cultural identity). Findings will be used to identify where improvements can be made within the community to make health and lifestyle choices easier for families. The study will assist in discovering the best ways to reduce the major health problems facing Australians today, such as obesity, asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, injury, mental health and musculoskeletal disorders.