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Table 1 Parameters collected for each participant within COBRA.

From: New directions in childhood obesity research: how a comprehensive biorepository will allow better prediction of outcomes

Self-completed participant information

Domain: Instrument/Source (respondent1)

Clinical exam

Blood samples

• Health: Self-rated health (P, C)

• Concern with weight: HopSCOTCH2 (P)

• Help seeking: HopSCOTCH2 (P)

• Pregnancy & birth: HopSCOTCH2, LSAC3, NHS4 (P)

• Early nutrition: LSAC3 (P)

• Family health history: HopSCOTCH2 (P)

• Mental health: SDQ 5(P, C); Kessler 10 6(P, C)

• Enjoyment of physical activity (PA): LEAP7 (P, C)

• Active/Sedentary time: HopSCOTCH2, LSAC3 (P, C)

• Targeted nutrition/PA: HopSCOTCH2 (P, C)

• Transport, biking, walking: IPAQ 8(P, C)

• Childcare: HopSCOTCH2 (P)

• Sleep habits: LSAC3 (P, C)

• Neighbourhood: LSAC3, ALSPAC9, NEWSA 10(P, C)

• Socio-demographic: Census (P)

• Household composition: FLAME11 (P)

• Nutrition: 3-day prospective food diary (P, C); ACAES 12 (P, C)

• Quality of life (QoL): PedsQL Core module 13 (P, C); Sizing Them Up 14 (P); Sizing Me Up15 (C)

• MARCA 16: 24-hour PA recall

Clinical history

• Specific details relating to weight

• Other health issues

• Peri natal and Past Medical History

• Medications (past and present)

• Allergies

• Immunisations

• Developmental history and schooling

• Family history

• Sleep issues

Clinical pathology

• Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

• Fasting glucose

• Fasting Insulin

• Lipid profile

• Thyroid function test

• Liver function tests

• Iron studies

• Full blood count

• Haemoglobin A1C

• Vitamin D

• Vitamin B12

• Magnesium

• Calcium

• Phosphate

• Folate

 

Clinical examination

• General appearance (dysmorphism, affect, body proportions)

• Cardiovascular examination including blood pressure

• Respiratory examination

• Abdominal examination

• Skin (acne, hirsutism, acanthosis nigricans, intertrigo, striae)

• Pubertal assessment (method of Tanner and Whitehouse)

Research assays

 

Anthropometry

See Table 2

Notes: In addition to self-completed survey items, participants wear an accelerometer, which is an omni-directional device to record child's movement in 15 second intervals over 9 days. О

• Height (measured to nearest

• 0.1 cm using a stadiometer)

• Weight

• Waist circumference

• Bioimpedence (measure of % fat by body quadrant, fat free mass, & basal metabolic rate)

 
  1. 1 P = parent, C = child (most instruments are completed by children approximately aged 11 years and older, exceptions are QoL instruments and accelerometry). Data sources indicated in bold are validated instruments.
  2. 2 HopSCOTCH is an NHMRC-funded clinical intervention trial of shared care for paediatric obesity currently being undertaken at RCH/MCRI (http://www.rch.org.au/ccch/research.cfm?doc_id=12126)
  3. 3 Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (http://www.aifs.gov.au/growingup/)
  4. 4 National Health Survey 2004/05 (http://www.abs.gov.au/)
  5. 5 Strengths & Difficulties Questionnaire (http://www.sdqinfo.com/).)
  6. 6 Kessler 10 [66].
  7. 7 Live Eat and Play Study [67]
  8. 8 International Physical Activity Questionnaire (http://www.ipaq.ki.se/ipaq.htm)
  9. 9 Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (Children of the 90's; http://www.bristol.ac.uk/alspac/).
  10. 10 Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale Abbreviated (sections C-H; http://www.activelivingresearch.org/node/10649): only administered to 13+ yo
  11. 11 FLAME--A New Zealand study to identify risk factors for obesity in children [68]
  12. 12 The Australian Child & Adolescent Eating Survey food frequency questionnaire (ACAES FFQ), [69]
  13. 13 PedsQL - Measurement model for the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (http://www.pedsql.org/).
  14. 14 'Sizing Them Up' [70]
  15. 15 'Sizing Me up' [71]
  16. 16 Multimedia Activity Recall for Children & Adolescents (MARCA) [72]: this instrument is currently waiting to be implemented into the study protocol.
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BMC Medical Research Methodology

ISSN: 1471-2288

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