The Liverpool Baby Breathing Study: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Assessment of Respiratory Symptoms in the First Five Years of Life, and Their Impact on Quality of Life



Naylor, Conor ORCID: 0000-0002-9533-5027
(2021) The Liverpool Baby Breathing Study: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Assessment of Respiratory Symptoms in the First Five Years of Life, and Their Impact on Quality of Life. Master of Philosophy thesis, University of Liverpool.

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Abstract

Aims: The objectives of the Liverpool Baby Breathing Study were: 1) to compare the study population, to the eligible study population; 2) to identify which characteristics were associated with an increased drop-out rate; 3) to analyse risk factors for poor respiratory health at different ages in the pre-school period; 4) to analyse risk factors for poor respiratory health throughout the entire pre-school period; and 5) to validate the Liverpool Respiratory Symptom Questionnaire for longitudinal use. Introduction: The Liverpool Baby Breathing Study was founded to assess the natural history of respiratory health in a cohort of pre-school-aged children in Liverpool. The city hosts many pre-established risk factors for paediatric respiratory disease, which makes it ideal for assessing which risk factors are most important in the development of future disease. The study also assesses the impact of respiratory symptoms on the quality of life of children and their parents, through the use of the Liverpool Respiratory Symptom Questionnaire. Methods: Between January 2013 and November 2014, newborns were recruited from the post-natal and neonatal wards of Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Over a period of five years, the infants’ parents completed biannual questionnaires about their child’s respiratory wellbeing. Questionnaires were delivered electronically, and consisted of a Liverpool Respiratory Symptom Questionnaire – as well as additional questions about the child’s exposure to potential risk factors. Data collection ran from May 2013 to January 2020. Results: The Liverpool Baby Breathing Study cohort consisted of 687 infants, which represented 5.5% of the eligible study population. Compared to the eligible study population, the study cohort was less deprived, more Caucasian, less breastfed and more premature; their mothers were older, more educated and less likely to smoke. Those who were from a deprived background, or with a less educated mother, were more likely to be lost to attrition throughout the study. Based on cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, the most apparent risk factors for poor respiratory health during the pre-school period (i.e. more frequent respiratory symptoms) were found to be: having a co-morbidity, attending nursery, being male, having a family history of atopy, not sharing a bedroom, and having a younger mother. The Liverpool Respiratory Symptom Questionnaire displayed good to excellent internal consistency when used longitudinally. Conclusions: Not only was the Liverpool Baby Breathing Study able to further endorse well-established risk factors as important to the development of paediatric respiratory disease, but it was also able to support the importance of less-established risk factors too. The Liverpool Respiratory Symptom Questionnaire can now be used as a validated tool in future longitudinal studies of pre-school-aged children.

Item Type: Thesis (Master of Philosophy)
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 08 Feb 2022 15:07
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 21:33
DOI: 10.17638/03134045
Supervisors:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3134045