The Children Growing up in Liverpool (C-GULL) study is breaking new ground in health research with its innovative longitudinal approach. This ambitious project aims to follow 10,000 first-born children and their families over time, investigating how early-life factors impact health outcomes, particularly in a city that faces significant health disparities.
C-GULL is unique in its triad design, combining civic engagement through the CityLab initiative and a comprehensive birth cohort. Researchers will recruit women in the late first or early second trimester of pregnancy and follow them and their children through five key milestones up to the child’s second birthday, collecting extensive biological, biometric, socio-demographic, and psychosocial data.
The overarching goal is to improve health and reduce inequalities in Liverpool, particularly in the context of non-communicable diseases like obesity and mental health issues. The study seeks to uncover pathways to chronic diseases in adulthood, enabling researchers to test intervention impacts in a connected world.
Oral Health Focus
A significant enhancement to the C-GULL programme is its oral health component, which aims to address critical gaps in knowledge regarding the links between early life events and future oral health. By developing validated questionnaires and innovative oral health assessment tools, the study plans to involve trained non-dental professionals in early detection of dental issues.
The Borrow Foundation has awarded funding for two years to develop the oral health component of C-Gull; to enhance data collection methods and enable deeper investigations into how parental factors influence children’s oral health. The project advisory group, consisting of oral health experts, will play a crucial role in shaping the research direction and ensuring its alignment with public health strategies.
Community and Global Relevance
The C-GULL study is a partnership among several key organizations, including the University of Liverpool and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. With a population of nearly half a million, 45% of whom live in deprived areas, Liverpool presents a rich context for this research. The findings from C-GULL are anticipated to be applicable globally, given that health disparities affect communities worldwide.
Professor Sondos Albadri, Professor and Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry,
Oral Health theme lead for C-Gull birth cohort