The Gateshead Millennium Baby Study: A Prospective Study of Feeding and Growth

Abstract

This is a study investigating feeding and growth in infancy. Its principal aim was to examine the joint influence of infant feeding behaviour and maternal psychological characteristics on weight gain. Infants of mothers resident in Gateshead, UK, born in pre‐specified weeks in 1999–2000 were eligible, and 1029 were recruited. Routine clinic weights were collected, and heights and weights were measured by research nurses at 13 months for 82% of the cohort. Parental postal questionnaire completion rates varied from 81% at 6 weeks to 63% at 12 months and to 49% at 30 months. The strength of the study was that many data were collected at routine clinical contacts. The main difficulties were maintaining up‐to‐date contact details and keeping the families involved, for which direct contact was more successful than postal contact. Support from health professionals, telephone reminders, media involvement, birthday cards and newsletters helped the success of the study. More recently, 83% of the cohort has been traced to local schools. The overall result is a unique longitudinal dataset of early feeding patterns and maternal characteristics from birth which will form the basis of further investigation and analysis of the cohort.

Acknowledgements

Our thanks to Jane Jarvis, Jayne Kelly, Anne Trail, Alison Smith and Ann Pattison for their work on the study, to Philip Lowe for computing support and to Anne Dale and Liz Towner for their support in maintaining the cohort in the toddler years. The study would not have been possible without the invaluable support of the Gateshead and Newcastle maternity units and the loyal participation of the parents. The original phase of this research was funded by Henry Smith Charity and Sport Aiding Research in Kids (SPARKS). Further phases were funded by Child Growth Foundation, Gateshead Health Trust Levy Funding and Northern and Yorkshire NHS R&D.