Child health and the environment: the INMA Spanish Study

8 pages, 3 tables.-- PMID: 16911019 [PubMed].The INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente [Environment and Childhood]) is a population-based cohort study in different Spanish cities, that focuses on prenatal environmental exposures and growth, development and health from early fetal life until childhood. The study focuses on five primary areas of research: (1) growth and physical development; (2) behavioural and cognitive development; (3) asthma and allergies; (4) sexual and reproductive development; and (5) environmental exposure pathways. The general aims of the project are: (1) to describe the degree of individual prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants, and the internal dose of chemicals during pregnancy, at birth and during childhood in Spain; (2) to evaluate the impact of the exposure to different contaminants on fetal and infant growth, health and development; (3) to evaluate the role of diet on fetal and infant growth, health and development; and (4) to evaluate the interaction between persistent pollutants, nutrients and genetic determinants on fetal and infant growth, health and developmentExtensive assessments will be carried out on 3100 pregnant women and children. Data will be collected by physical examinations, questionnaires, interviews, ultrasound and biological samples. Pregnant women are being assessed at 12, 20 and 32 weeks of gestation to collect information about environmental exposures and fetal growth. The children will be followed until the age of 4 years.We are grateful to all the mothers, their partners and the children who are taking part in the INMA Study, and to the midwives, obstetricians and paediatricians for their co-operation and help in recruitment and following up of the cohorts. This study could not have been undertaken without the financial support of the ‘Instituto de Salud Carlos III’ (G03/176) and ‘RCESP’ (C03/09). This study has also been supported in part by the ‘Fundació "La Caixa"’ for the Ribera d’Ebre cohort (97/009-00 and 00/077-00), the ‘Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria’ for the Valencia cohort (FIS 031615), the Menorca cohort (97/0588 and 00/0021-02), Asturias cohort (PI04-2018) and other PI04-1436, PI041509, PI041705, PI041666, PI041931, PI 04/2646, and the European Union Commission (QLK4-1999-01422) and Junta de Andalucía SAS (202/04) for the Granada cohort, and the Menorca cohort (QLK4-2000-00263).Peer reviewe