Epidemiology Branch
The Norwegian Mother & Child Cohort Study or MoBa (den norske Mor & barn-undersøkelsen) is an ongoing long-term prospective cohort study of 110,000 pregnant Norwegian women and their children. Enrollment was from 1999 to 2008.
In collaboration with the Norwegian National Public Health Institute (NIPH), NIEHS supported the collection of additional biologic specimens from the pregnant women. These specimens will be used for the measurement of environmental and other exposures. A variety of exposure and health data on babies, mothers and fathers has been collected, and follow-up with a series of questionnaires is ongoing. Records from the cohort study will also be linked to routine national health registries.
The Norwegian Mother & Child Cohort Study provides a valuable resource for assessing the role of environmental and other exposures in the health of women and their children. Investigators from the NIEHS Epidemiology Branch are involved in many MoBa-based studies, as reflected by the more than 10 projects for which NIEHS leadership has been formally registered with the Norwegian MoBa Leader Team. More than 10 NIEHS scientists, including 4 Senior Investigators, have been involved.