Recruitment And Characterization Of The Isle Of Wight 3rd Generation Birth Cohort

RATIONALE: The Isle of Wight (IOW) cohort includes three generations: 1st generation (F0, grandparents; n=1536), the 2nd generation (F1, n=1456), and the 3rd generation (F2, n=452). The overall objective is to investigate cross generational transfer of risk for allergic diseases.

METHODS: All three generations of the IOW cohort have been assessed for asthma and allergic diseases and information on relevant environmental exposures have been collected. Recruitment and assessment of the IOW 3^rd Generation cohort is ongoing; mothers have been assessed twice during pregnancy, while children are being assessed at 3, 12, 24, 36 and 72 months of age for allergic diseases wheeze, eczema and rhinitis using standardized questionnaires.

RESULTS: Since the inception of the 3^rd Generation study in 2010, 452 children have been born into the cohort whose mothers or fathers are participants of the original IOW cohort. 367 children have been assessed at 3 months, 243 at 12 months, 151 at 24 months and 123 at 36 months. Wheeze occurred in 30.5% (107/351) at 3 months and 29.4% (95/323) at 12 months; eczema occurred in 21.4% (69/323) at 3 months and 24.8% (79/318) at 12 months and nasal symptoms 28.0% (99/353) at 3 months and 15.9% (43/271) at 24 months.

CONCLUSIONS: Period prevalence of current wheeze, eczema and nasal symptoms was high in the 3^rd Generation cohort. The format of recruiting 3 generations of a cohort will provide valuable information on disease risk across generations and associated mechanisms for common diseases such as asthma and allergy.