Participate Information Sheet

We invite you to take part in this research project which we believe will help us to gather useful information about the impact of environmental exposures and genetic factors on health and wellbeing of children and their parents. You are being invited because you are pregnant or your wife is pregnant, you are over 18 years old and you are a Qatari or you are living in Qatar for the past 15 years and intend to give birth in Qatar. We hope by taking part you will help us to gather the information we need. In this letter, we have provided answers to questions that you might wish to ask about the research.

What is this research and what is the Purpose
of this research?

This is a birth cohort epidemiological study where we prospectively observe women during their pregnancy, their children, and we also collect data from the father of their child/children so as to determine the genetic and life-course influences on childhood health, development and/or common complex diseases development that may persist in adulthood. Therefore, the aim of the Qatar Birth Cohort project is to assess the synergetic role of environmental exposures and genetic factors in the development of chronic disease of woman and child health and/or obstetric characteristics with high prevalence in the state of Qatar. All the information we are going to collect will help us understand the causes of illness, which will help us to develop better ways of improving health and wellbeing.

Why have you been invited to participate as a research subject?

We are inviting every Qatari and Non-Qatari (that lives in Qatar for the past 15years) pregnant woman and their husbands coming to the Primary Health Care centers, to take part in the Qatari Birth Cohort project. All the information we are going to collect will help us understand the causes of illness, which will help us to develop better ways of improving health and wellbeing of mothers and their children.

Do I have to participate?

No. Your participation is voluntary. Whether you decide to take part in the project is entirely up to you. If you decide you want to and later you change your mind, you can withdraw at any time. Whatever you decide your medical care will not be affected in any way.

For more details, please download the flyer