Asking Questions about Alcohol in Pregnancy Study (AQUA)
This study seeks to produce timely, new information on the complex relationship between low to moderate alcohol drinking patterns in pregnant women and their infant’s health and development. Exposure data was collected through questionnaires administered during each trimester of pregnancy. Data on other factors that could influence the effects of alcohol such as diet, medication and body size was also collected at each follow-up.
A subgroup of the cohort were invited for 3D craniofacial photography and developmental assessments at 12 months, and two years of age, respectively. Biosamples were collected for the measurement of genetic polymorphisms, and epigenetic studies.
AQUA at 6 is a follow-up of the AQUA participants as they enter their primary school years.
| Study Summary | |
|---|---|
| Study name | Asking Questions about Alcohol in Pregnancy Study |
| Study abbreviation | AQUA |
| Current principal investigator/s |
Jane Halliday Peter Anderson |
| Current project manager |
Evelyne Muggli |
| Primary Institution/s |
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute - MCRI
The Royal Children’s Hospital - RCH |
| Collaborating Institution/s |
National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University
La Trobe University The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Sydney Deakin University Royal Women’s Hospital |
| Major funding source/s |
National Health and Medical Research Council - NHMRC
VicHealth McCusker Charitable Foundation The Jack Brockhoff Foundation Financial Markets Foundation for Children |
| Study website | https://www.mcri.edu.au/research/projects/asking-questions-about-alcohol-pregnancy-aqua/ https://www.mcri.edu.au/aquastudy/aqua-6 |
| Key reference for study | Muggli, E., O’Leary, C., Forster, D., Anderson, P., Lewis, S., Nagle, C., Craig, J.M., Donath, S., Elliott, E. and Halliday, J. (2014). Study protocol: Asking QUestions about Alcohol in pregnancy (AQUA): a longitudinal cohort study of fetal effects of low to moderate alcohol exposure. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 14: 302. doi: 10.1186/1471-2393-14-302 |
| Study focus |
AQUA has collected detailed information about alcohol consumption during pregnancy from nearly 1,600 pregnant women to assess the impact of different amounts of alcohol on the unborn child. The study aims to explore whether alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and other maternal factors are associated with problems in the health and development of young children. |
| Sampling frame |
Participants were recruited through antenatal clinics in 2011-12, from the Mercy Hospital for Women, Royal Women's Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, Dandenong Hospital, Casey Hospital or Box Hill Hospital. Participants were less than 19 weeks pregnant with a single baby at the time of enrolment. |
| Primary study type | Longitudinal cohort |
| Year commenced |
2011 |
| Is this study ongoing? | Yes - the study is ongoing |
| Ongoing recruitment? | Yes |
| Sample size (N) |
AQUA: 2146 |
| Survey data available? | Yes |
| Imaging data available? | Yes |
| Linkage to administrative dataset/s? | Yes, linkage to (at least one) administrative dataset completed |
| Biosamples available? | Yes |
| Are data available to others outside study team, with appropriate safeguards and structures in line with the cohort’s ethics and governance processes? | Yes |
| Are there any costs associated with data/sample access for approved requests? | There are usually no costs associated with access |
| Broadest type of participant consent available |
Extended consent (can be used for future ethically approved research related to this project) |
| Wave | Year | Age | Sample size (N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011-2012 | 19 weeks gestation | N(Total)=2146 |
| 2 | 2011-2012 | 26 weeks gestation | N(Total)=1715 |
| 3 | 2011-2012 | 36 weeks gestation | N(Total)=1571 |
| 4a | 2011-2012 | Birth | N(Total)=1401 |
| 4 | 2013-2014 | 12 months | N(Total)=1296 |
| 5 | 2014-2015 | 2 years | N(Total)=1038 |
| AQUA@6 | 2018-Ongoing | 6-7 years | IN PROGRESS |
2022
Muggli E, Hearps S, Halliday J, Elliott EJ, Penington A, Thompson DK, Spittle A, Forster DA, Lewis S, Anderson PJ. (2022). A data driven approach to identify trajectories of prenatal alcohol consumption in an Australian population-based cohort of pregnant women Scientific Reports, 12(1), 4353. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08190-4
2021
Everson TM, Vives-Usano M, Seyve E, Cardenas A, Lacasaña M, Craig JM, Lesseur C, Baker ER, Fernandez-Jimenez N, Heude B, Perron P, Gónzalez-Alzaga B, Halliday J, Deyssenroth MA, Karagas MR, Íñiguez C, Bouchard L, Carmona-Sáez P, Loke YJ, Hao K, Belmonte T, Charles MA, Martorell-Marugán J, Muggli E, Chen J, Fernández MF, Tost J, Gómez-Martín A, London SJ, Sunyer J, Marsit CJ, Lepeule J, Hivert M-F, Bustamante M. (2021). Placental DNA methylation signatures of maternal smoking during pregnancy and potential impacts on fetal growth Nature Communications, 12(1), 5095. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24558-y
Loke YJ, Muggli E, Saffery R, Ryan J, Lewis S, Elliott EJ, Halliday J, Craig JM. (2021). Sex- and tissue-specific effects of binge-level prenatal alcohol consumption on DNA methylation at birth Epigenomics, 13(24), 1921 - 1938. DOI: 10.2217/epi-2021-0285
Muggli E, Halliday J, Elliott E, Penington A, Thompson DK, Spittle A, Della A. Forster , Lewis S, Hearps S, Anderson PJ. (2021). Early School Years follow up of the Asking Questions in Alcohol Longitudinal Study in Melbourne, Australia (AQUA at 6): Cohort profile . DOI: 10.1101/2021.06.17.21259124
Muggli E, Hearps S, Halliday J, Elliott EJ, Penington A, Thompson DK, Spittle A, Forster DA, Lewis S, Anderson PJ. (2021). Trajectories of Prenatal Alcohol Consumption in An Australian Population-Based Cohort of Pregnant Women - A Data Driven Approach . DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-760148/v1
2019
Al-Sowayan B, Keogh RJ, Abumaree M, Georgiou HM, Kalionis B. (2019). Valproic acid simulates in vitro migration of the placenta-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cell line CMSC29 Stem Cell Investigation, 6(0), 3 - 3. DOI: 10.21037/sci.2019.01.01
Everson TM, Vives-Usano M, Seyve E, Cardenas A, Lacasaña M, Craig JM, Lesseur C, Baker ER, Fernandez-Jimenez N, Heude B, Perron P, Gónzalez-Alzaga B, Halliday J, Deyssenroth MA, Karagas MR, Íñiguez C, Bouchard L, Carmona-Sáez P, Loke YJ, Hao K, Belmonte T, Charles MA, Martorell-Marugán J, Muggli E, Chen J, Fernández MF, Tost J, Gómez-Martín A, London SJ, Sunyer J, Marsit CJ, Lepeule J, Hivert M-F, Bustamante M. (2019). Placental DNA methylation signatures of maternal smoking during pregnancy and potential impacts on fetal growth . DOI: 10.1101/663567
2018
Lee A, Muggli E, Halliday J, Lewis S, Gasparini E, Forster D. (2018). What do pregnant women eat, and are they meeting the recommended dietary requirements for pregnancy? Midwifery, 67, 70 - 76. DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2018.09.005
Loke YJ, Muggli E, Nguyen L, Ryan J, Saffery R, Elliott EJ, Halliday J, Craig JM. (2018). Time- and sex-dependent associations between prenatal alcohol exposure and placental global DNA methylation Epigenomics, 10(7), 981 - 991. DOI: 10.2217/epi-2017-0147
Matthews H, Muggli E, Halliday J, Claes P. (2018). Mapping the Spectrum of Prenatal Alcohol Effects with Dense Surface Models of the Face and Brain Alcoholism Clinical and Experimental Research, 42(10), 1880 - 1882. DOI: 10.1111/acer.13848
Muggli E, Curd H, Nagle C, Forster D, Halliday J. (2018). Engaging pregnant women in observational research: a qualitative exploratory study BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 18(1), 334. DOI: 10.1186/s12884-018-1966-z
2017
Halliday JL, Muggli E, Lewis S, Elliott EJ, Amor DJ, O'Leary C, Donath S, Forster D, Nagle C, Craig JM, Anderson PJ. (2017). Alcohol consumption in a general antenatal population and child neurodevelopment at 2 years Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 71(10), 990. DOI: 10.1136/jech-2017-209165
Muggli E, Matthews H, Penington A, Claes P, O’Leary C, Forster D, Donath S, Anderson PJ, Lewis S, Nagle C, Craig JM, White SM, Elliott EJ, Halliday J. (2017). Association Between Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Craniofacial Shape of Children at 12 Months of Age JAMA Pediatrics, 171(8), 771 - 780. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.0778
2016
Livock M, Anderson PJ, Lewis S, Bowden S, Muggli E, Halliday J. (2016). Maternal micronutrient consumption periconceptionally and during pregnancy: a prospective cohort study Public Health Nutrition, 20(2), 294 - 304. DOI: 10.1017/s1368980016002019
Matthews H, Penington T, Saey I, Halliday J, Muggli E, Claes P. (2016). Spatially dense morphometrics of craniofacial sexual dimorphism in 1‐year‐olds Journal of Anatomy, 229(4), 549 - 559. DOI: 10.1111/joa.12507
Muggli E, O’Leary C, Donath S, Orsini F, Forster D, Anderson PJ, Lewis S, Nagle C, Craig JM, Elliott E, Halliday J. (2016). “Did you ever drink more?” A detailed description of pregnant women’s drinking patterns BMC Public Health, 16(1), 683. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-016-3354-9
2014
Muggli E, O’Leary C, Forster D, Anderson P, Lewis S, Nagle C, Craig JM, Donath S, Elliott E, Halliday J. (2014). Study protocol: Asking QUestions about Alcohol in pregnancy (AQUA): a longitudinal cohort study of fetal effects of low to moderate alcohol exposure BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 14(1), 302. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2393-14-302
| Study Contacts | |
|---|---|
| Principal investigator/s |
Jane Halliday Peter Anderson |
| Project manager |
Evelyne Muggli |
| Study Contact |
Ph: +61 3 8341 6260
|