Childhood Allergy and the Neonatal Environment
Childhood Allergy and the Neonatal Environment
The purpose of this research study is to study the relationship between childhood asthma,
 allergies, and early-life environmental factors that may cause childhood asthma and
 allergies. Previous birth cohort studies have found early-life environmental factors such as
 allergies, pollutants, viruses and bacteria have all contributed to the development of asthma
 and allergies. Investigators are doing this research because there continues to be a strong
 need to understand the root causes of asthma and allergies. The CANOE study is an
 observational cohort study, which means investigators are not asking participants or
 participant's child to change their medications and investigators will not be giving
 participants or participant's child a study drug.
The CANOE study will provide an opportunity to collect novel longitudinal samples not
 available from the current CANOE birth cohorts, as well as enhanced and standardized
 environmental sampling in early life. One of the main goals of this study is to gather data
 and specimens, beginning in the prenatal periods, that will assess environmental exposures to
 toxins and microbes, and host characteristics including genetics, epigenetics, gene
 expression, the proteome and metabolome, microbial colonization and viral respiratory
 infections. The main study outcomes will be important interim conditions (e.g., recurrent
 wheeze, early multiple sensitization) that are highly associated with the development of
 asthma. Additional outcomes (perinatal outcomes, growth, neurocognitive development) will be
 collected as part of the collaborative Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes
 (ECHO)-wide Cohort Data Collection Protocol.
Inclusion Criteria:

 1. Planning to deliver at the study hospital.

 2. History of or concurrent asthma or allergic rhinitis (hay fever) in either biologic
 parent or sibling (at least one shared biological parent) by parental report. The
 presence of paternal or sibling allergy or asthma will be ascertained by maternal
 report.

 3. Maternal age > 18 years at the time of study enrollment.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 1. Maternal HIV infection at time of delivery.

 2. Plans for the family to move out of the geographic area during the period of the
 study.

 3. Does not speak English.

 4. Maternal use of progesterone during pregnancy to prevent preterm birth.

 5. Past or current medical problems or findings from physical examination or laboratory
 testing which, in the opinion of the investigator or designee, may pose additional
 risks from participation in the study, may interfere with the participant's ability to
 comply with study requirements or that may impact the quality or interpretation of the
 data obtained from the study.