A major project following the lives of thousands of Bradford babies has reached a big milestone with over 5,000 babies now signed-up for ‘Born in Bradford’s Better Start (BiBBS).
Coinciding with Baby Week Bradford (November 14-20) the landmark news represents a massive achievement for the community research team, based at Bradford Institute for Health Research in the grounds of Bradford Royal Infirmary, who are part of Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Director of the BIBBS study, Josie Dickerson said: “Reaching the recruitment of our 5,000th baby into our study is fantastic news and a testament to the hard work of our team who have worked diligently over the past seven years to reach this target.
“However, the team isn’t going to stop there and is aiming to recruit even more families between now and when recruitment ends next year.
“The ultimate target is to follow the progress of the more than 5,000 babies born in the Bradford district through the first two decades of their life. We believe that by watching the ups and downs of their lives in sickness and in health, it might become clearer why children become ill and how these illnesses can be better treated – or even prevented altogether. It’s a huge undertaking, but it’s time to stand back and celebrate for a moment.”
BiBBS has been recruiting to its research project since 2016 and seeks to further our understanding of how we can give children the best possible start in life. The study monitors and evaluates the effects of the Better Start Bradford projects on children’s wellbeing, health and early development.
Findings from the study have already shown that children who have access to good quality green spaces and parks have better mental wellbeing.
The BiBBS team will be out in the community celebrating this milestone at a number of ‘Baby Week’ events over the coming days.
They’ll also be speaking to families about the difference their participation in the research study is already making in Bradford and offering families, who are not already involved, the opportunity to sign up to join the project.
Dr Dickerson continued: “We always look forward to taking part in Bradford Baby Week, as it’s such a great opportunity to celebrate Bradford’s babies and families.
“This year is an even bigger celebration for us, having reached a huge milestone for our research study. And we want the community to come and celebrate with us.
“Our team will be at Baby Week events across the district this week, so please do keep an eye out for us and come and find out more about why this achievement is so important.”
For any families who want to take part in BiBBS, the team are still recruiting so to take part you will need to have:
- had a baby at Bradford Royal Infirmary
- had a baby born after April 2016
- Live in one of the Better Start Bradford areas
Families can find out more about the study at: https://borninbradford.nhs.uk/what-we-do/cohort-studies/better-start/. They can sign up by contacting researchers on 01274 364474 or borninbradford@bthft.nhs.uk. To sign up they can also use the following link : BiBBS (bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk)
A BiBBS mum said: “The study is easy to join and it’s always good to have more studies as I don’t think there have been enough on children and how they grow up. It’s good for our children when they have children who will have more information.”
