The ‘Born and Bred In’ study, known as BaBi, has reached 60,000 participants across its 13 recruiting sites in England.
BiB4All, the original name for the study in Bradford, is part of the world-leading Born in Bradford research programme, started recruiting in 2019 and has been joined by Leeds, Wakefield, Doncaster, East London, York & Scarborough, Nottingham, Tameside, Hull, Harrogate, Warwick and Northern Lincolnshire to create the BaBi Network.
The BaBi Network is a vital research initiative focused on understanding the factors that influence family health and well-being. It brings together local birth cohort studies to link existing data across health, education, and social care, creating a comprehensive picture of family life over time. This research will ultimately help shape local services and foster a healthier environment for families.
With consent from pregnant women, routine data from the services they access for themselves or their babies—such as healthcare and education—is anonymously linked. This allows researchers to build a comprehensive picture of local health for study purposes. By identifying patterns in the data, the research provides valuable insights into what is effective and what can be improved, ultimately helping to enhance services for the future.
While each BaBi site primarily focuses on local outcomes for local communities, the broader BaBi Network creates opportunities for significant national research and learning. Currently, the network has 13 recruiting sites, with more in development, and welcomes expressions of interest from across England.
Together, the BaBi Network continues to make significant strides in maternal and child health research across its multiple sites. Network members have actively participated in steering groups to align research priorities with local partners, demonstrating the vital role of BaBi data in informing local healthcare decisions. The Network has successfully expanded its reach through various engagement activities, including BaBi Hull’s inaugural ‘Baby Week’ and comprehensive carousel events offering essential information to expectant parents on topics ranging from prenatal nutrition to infant care and mental wellbeing. In Bradford, BIB4ALL’s research has provided crucial insights into perinatal mental health inequities.
BaBi sites in Humber and North Yorkshire have created an innovative regional collaboration between the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care System (ICS), and the BaBi Network. This collaboration represents a shift from the traditional model of single BaBi sites working independently to a more integrated system approach. The initiative aims to enhance data sharing capabilities, create new joint funding and research opportunities, provide improved support across sites and engagement with system stakeholders.
The Network continues to strengthen its research capacity through comprehensive training programs for healthcare professionals, particularly focusing on integrating BaBi protocols into clinical training sessions for new midwives. Across the country, BaBi teams have trained over 1500 colleagues to take consent for BaBi.
Sally Bridges, BaBi Network Director, at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation NHS Trust said:
‘We are thrilled to have reached this major milestone, with 60,000 participants now part of the BaBi Network across England! First and foremost, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to all the women who have chosen to be part of our study. The BaBi Network exists because of the generosity of the women and babies who joined the BaBi family, as well as the enthusiasm and dedication of the midwives who invited them. We are incredibly grateful to all the women, babies, health professionals, and researchers who make BaBi possible.
We look forward to welcoming thousands more families to the Network this year. The more women and babies who participate, such as Jake and Hattie featured below who are the first newborn babies in the study at BaBi Northern Lincolnshire, our newest BaBi site that launched in November 2024, the deeper our understanding of the factors influencing family health in their local areas. This knowledge will help drive improvements in local services and create meaningful, positive changes in people’s lives.
