Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies and their Environment Study (VHEMBE)
The VHEMBE study investigates the effects of prenatal and childhood exposure to insecticides used to combat malaria in a cohort in Limpopo province in northeastern South Africa. The study recruited pregnant women at least 18 years old in the early labour stages or shortly after delivery from Tshilizidini Hospital in the Vhembe district of South Africa's Limpopo Province. Participants had not been diagnosed with malaria during the pregnancy, lived near the hospital, and spoke Tshivenda at home. At baseline, over 750 pregnant women were recruited into the study resulting in the addition of over 750 babies entering the study at birth. Participants were followed up 1 week postpartum and at 1, 2, 3.5, and 5 years after birth.
Study design
Cohort - primary caregiver and child
Number of participants at first data collection
752 (pregnant women)
752 (babies)
Age at first data collection
≥ 18 years (pregnant women)
Birth (babies)
Participant year of birth
Varied (pregnant women)
2012 - 2013 (babies)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
No
Sample features
Country
Year of first data collection
2012
Primary Institutions
McGill University
University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
University of Pretoria (Yunibesithi ya Pretoria, Universiteit van Pretoria)
Profile paper DOI
Funders
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR, Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada, IRSC)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Ongoing?
Yes
Data types collected
- Interview – face-to-face
- Physical environment assessment (e.g. pollution, mould)
- Physical or biological assessment (e.g. blood, saliva, gait, grip strength, anthropometry)
- Secondary data
- None
- None
- Geographic, spatial & environmental data
Engagement
Keywords
