Singapore's first large-scale pre-pregnancy study launched

KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), Singapore Institute for Clinical Science (SICS) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the National University Health System (NUHS) have launched Singapore's first large-scale pre-conception study which will involve 1,000 local couples. The study will investigate the effects that nutrition, lifestyle, mental health, and other environmental factors may have before and during pregnancy on the eventual health and socio-emotional outcomes of the mother and baby. The study, called "S-PRESTO", is short for Singapore PREconception Study of long-Term maternal and child Outcomes.

S-PRESTO will recruit couples who are actively planning pregnancy. Information will be gathered from these couples from the time they plan to conceive through successful conception and up until their child is two years old. The aim is to define the critical development pathways and mechanisms that link maternal and perinatal health and nutrition to child development, with the longer term goal of developing more effective approaches to intervention and prevention of metabolic diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders.

"S-PRESTO follows on from the highly successful birth cohort study, GUSTO (Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes). GUSTO showed us that the mother's health during pregnancy affects the child's health outcomes, such as higher glucose levels in the expectant mother, even in the absence of diabetes, can affect an infant's body fat composition1, and that full term babies born to mothers with anxiety and depressive symptoms during pregnancy, end up smaller in birth size2. GUSTO inevitably led us to question the influences of the couple's health on the child even before the mother is pregnant, as positively suggested by some international studies. S-PRESTO was thus launched as a local study which will focus on the preconception stage, through to when the child is two years old. The main aim is to use the data to help enhance health outcomes for every birth in Singapore", said Associate Professor Jerry Chan, KKH Principal Investigator, S-PRESTO, and Director, KK Research Centre, KKH.

"Collaborating with the leading local maternity hospital on S-PRESTO enables us to investigate the important clinical window known as the preconception stage in great detail through a large study cohort. S-PRESTO also provides a critical opportunity to validate and extend our findings from GUSTO, including associations between specific epigenetic 'marks' and developmental outcomes in the offspring, and paves the way for better maternity and child care in the future", said Associate Professor Chong Yap Seng, Executive Director, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and Senior Consultant, National University Health System (NUHS).

S-PRESTO is recruiting couples who meet the following criteria:

• Where the wife is 18 to 45 years old
• Currently residing in Singapore, and intending to reside in Singapore for the next five years
• Who are actively planning pregnancy
• Of Chinese, Malay or Indian ethnicity
• Intending to receive antenatal care and deliver at KKH

Under S-PRESTO, participants and their future children will receive complimentary investigations and reports until their children are two years of age.