Long-Term Changes in Maternal, Newborn and Toddlers’ Heavy Metal Loads, and Infant and Toddler Developmental Milestones in the Aftermath of the 2014 Military Attacks
The study aimed to examine the effects of heavy metal exposure on the development of children. Participants were 502 mother-child dyads who were recruited from maternity units of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. The mothers had been exposed to military attacks on Gaza in 2014 during their first trimester of pregnancy, and their children were born in 2015. Mothers and children completed baseline assessment at the birth of the child and were followed up when the child was 6 months and 18 months old. The same study examined cohorts in 2011, 2016 and 2018-2019 cross-sectionally.
Study design
Cohort - birth, Cohort, Cohort - primary caregiver and child
Number of participants at first data collection
502 (mother-child dyads)
Age at first data collection
Varied (mothers)
Birth (children)
Participant year of birth
Varied (mothers)
2015 (children)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
No
Sample features
Country
Year of first data collection
2015
Primary Institutions
Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
Islamic University of Gaza (الجامعة الإسلامية بغزة)
New Weapons Research Group (NWRG)
Palestinian Ministry of Health
Tampere University (Tampereen yliopisto, TAU)
Profile paper DOI
Funders
New Weapons Research Group (NWRG)
Ongoing?
No
Data types collected
- Interview – face-to-face
- Physical or biological assessment (e.g. blood, saliva, gait, grip strength, anthropometry)
- Self-report questionnaire – unspecified
- None
- None
- None
Engagement
Keywords
