The MQFC pilot study (stage 1) is a prospective longitudinal study examining the acceptability of questionnaires and biological sample collection from pregnant participants and their partners from 24 weeks gestation to 6 weeks post-partum, among a cohort of families birthing at the Mater Mother’s Hospital.

The biological samples collected during the pilot study will form a “biobank” that is linked to a “databank” of personal and health information gathered from questionnaires, recorded measures, genetic information and medical chart reviews. The biobank and databank created in this pilot study will be linked together to allow advances in health and medical research.

The requirements to access MQFC samples from the pilot study to aid and advance health and medical research will be in accordance with the approved MQFC Protocol, Annexe 1, Section 21.1 Governance of Sample Sharing. As a requirement, all new information obtained from MQFC samples will feed back into the MQFC biobank for collaborative purposes and are not free-standing projects.

We aim to understand whether:  

1. Changes in the residential environment are associated with loss of asthma control or changes in rhinitis symptoms in pregnant women and their partners
2. Changes in the residential environment are associated with altered growth in utero for allergic mothers relative to non-allergic mothers
3. Changes in the residential environment are associated with altered birth outcomes for allergic mothers relative to non-allergic mothers

Objectives

1. To use self-reported nasal allergy symptom and asthma control questionnaires (Asthma Control Questionnaire; ACQ, Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22; SNOT-22 ) and medical/medicinal history (history/current allergies and medication use) and compare environmental data (household exposures, neighbourhood exposures, and workplace exposures) to understand allergy control in pregnant participants and their partners. To use environmental data and self reported allergy data listed above and compare birth outcomes (birthweight, birthweight centile, placental weight, placental dimensions, cord length, placental thickness) in allergic vs non-allergic pregnant participants.
2. To use environmental data and allergy data listed above and compare fetal growth from scans (head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length, biparietal diameter, kidney size, estimated fetal weight) in allergic vs non-allergic pregnant participants.
3. To combine QFC data with spatially-resolved data, including Open Street Map (road networks) and satellite imagery (normalised digital vegetation index, NDVI; non-vegetation green / vegetation continuous fields, NVG/VCF) data to examine the relationships between greenspace and allergy in pregnant women and their partners.

 

Hypotheses

1. Uncontrolled asthma and upper respiratory allergies in pregnant women and their partners are exacerbated by increased environmental (air) pollution (heightening allergenicity) and pollen exposure, and cumulatively these exposures in the mother contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes and increase the risk of allergy in the children.
2. Higher household and neighbourhood levels of (indoor  and ambient, respectively) air pollution, compared to neighbourhoods with lower levels, exacerbate allergy and asthma in mothers and their partners, and cumulatively these exposures in the mother contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes and increase the risk of allergy in the children.
3. Higher neighbourhood levels of greenspace  , compared to lower levels, provide a level of protection to all mothers and their partners from air pollution and reduce the risk of exacerbation of asthma and allergy among allergic mothers. Higher neighbourhood levels of greenspace, compared to lower levels, provide a level of protection to all mothers and their partners by facilitating physical activity and reduce the risk of gestational diabetes or altered immune states. Queensland specific tropical and sub-tropical climate modifies prevalence and severity of asthma and rhinitis occurrence compared to more moderate and drier climate regions in Australia.