The Environmental Exposures in Lebanese Infants (EELI) Birth Cohort: an Investigation into the Developmental Origins of Health and Diseases (DOHaD)

Overview

Journal Int J Environ Health Res

Publisher Informa Healthcare

Specialty Environmental Health

Date 2023 Jul 10

PMID 37429297

Authors

Emile Whaibeh

Myriam Mrad-Nakhle

Norma Aouad

Isabella Annesi-Maesano

Nivine Abbas

Clara Chaiban

Jowy Abi Hanna

Georges Abi Tayeh

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The EELI Study is a longitudinal birth cohort launched in 2021 in Lebanon to examine the long-term impact of environmental exposures on the health of prospective Lebanese mothers and infants and disease outcomes. This article delineates the adopted study design and protocols, current progress, and contextual considerations for the planning and launching of a birth cohort in a resource-limited setting. A sample of = 135 pregnant women expecting to give birth at the Hôtel-Dieu de France University Hospital has been recruited since the study launch. Over 500 variables have been recorded for each participant, and over 1000 biological specimens have been processed and stored in a biobank for further analysis. The EELI study establishes methodological and logistic basis to explore the concept of the exposome and its implementation and to establish a toolkit of the SOPs and questionnaires that can be employed by the other countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

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