Early environmental quality and life-course mental health effects: The Equal-Life project
Journal
Environmental Epidemiology
Date Issued
2021-12-16
Author(s)
Kamp, Irene van
Persson Waye, Kerstin
Kanninen, Katja
Gulliver, John
Bozzon, Alessandro
Psyllidis, Achilleas
Boshuizen, Hendriek
Selander, Jenny
van den Hazel, Peter
Brambilla, Marco
Foraster, Maria
Julvez, Jordi
Klatte, Maria
Jeram, Sonja
Lercher, Peter
Botteldooren, Dick
Kaprio, Jaakko
Schreckenberg, Dirk
Hornikx, Maarten
Fels, Janina
Weber, Miriam
Braat-Eggen, Ella
Hartmann, Julia
Clark, Charlotte
Vrijkotte, Tanja
Brown, Lex
Bolte, Gabriele
Equal-Life Scientific Team
DOI
10.1097/ee9.0000000000000183
Abstract
Background:
There is increasing evidence that a complex interplay of factors within environments in which children grows up, contributes to children’s suboptimal mental health and cognitive development. The concept of the life-course exposome helps to study the impact of the physical and social environment, including social inequities, on cognitive development and mental health over time.
Methods:
Equal-Life develops and tests combined exposures and their effects on children’s mental health and cognitive development. Data from eight birth-cohorts and three school studies (N = 240.000) linked to exposure data, will provide insights and policy guidance into aspects of physical and social exposures hitherto untapped, at different scale levels and timeframes, while accounting for social inequities. Reasoning from the outcome point of view, relevant stakeholders participate in the formulation and validation of research questions, and in the formulation of environmental hazards. Exposure assessment combines GIS-based environmental indicators with omics approaches and new data sources, forming the early-life exposome. Statistical tools integrate data at different spatial and temporal granularity and combine exploratory machine learning models with hypothesis-driven causal modeling.
Conclusions:
Equal-Life contributes to the development and utilization of the exposome concept by (1) integrating the internal, physical and social exposomes, (2) studying a distinct set of life-course effects on a child’s development and mental health (3) characterizing the child’s environment at different developmental stages and in different activity spaces, (4) looking at supportive environments for child development, rather than merely pollutants, and (5) combining physical, social indicators with novel effect markers and using new data sources describing child activity patterns and environments.
What this article adds
Equal-Life, as part of the European Human Exposome Network, focuses uniquely on the effect of the internal and external exposome on mental health and cognitive development in children, with data available from conception to age 21 years. The discovery of new biomarkers for mental health and cognitive development has added scientific value. Traditional exposures with a negative health impact are combined with features promoting health by a novel approach to multimodal exposures. By including a positive outlook on physical and social environments Equal-Life stimulates a more holistic approach to environmental planning for different life stages and health equity.
There is increasing evidence that a complex interplay of factors within environments in which children grows up, contributes to children’s suboptimal mental health and cognitive development. The concept of the life-course exposome helps to study the impact of the physical and social environment, including social inequities, on cognitive development and mental health over time.
Methods:
Equal-Life develops and tests combined exposures and their effects on children’s mental health and cognitive development. Data from eight birth-cohorts and three school studies (N = 240.000) linked to exposure data, will provide insights and policy guidance into aspects of physical and social exposures hitherto untapped, at different scale levels and timeframes, while accounting for social inequities. Reasoning from the outcome point of view, relevant stakeholders participate in the formulation and validation of research questions, and in the formulation of environmental hazards. Exposure assessment combines GIS-based environmental indicators with omics approaches and new data sources, forming the early-life exposome. Statistical tools integrate data at different spatial and temporal granularity and combine exploratory machine learning models with hypothesis-driven causal modeling.
Conclusions:
Equal-Life contributes to the development and utilization of the exposome concept by (1) integrating the internal, physical and social exposomes, (2) studying a distinct set of life-course effects on a child’s development and mental health (3) characterizing the child’s environment at different developmental stages and in different activity spaces, (4) looking at supportive environments for child development, rather than merely pollutants, and (5) combining physical, social indicators with novel effect markers and using new data sources describing child activity patterns and environments.
What this article adds
Equal-Life, as part of the European Human Exposome Network, focuses uniquely on the effect of the internal and external exposome on mental health and cognitive development in children, with data available from conception to age 21 years. The discovery of new biomarkers for mental health and cognitive development has added scientific value. Traditional exposures with a negative health impact are combined with features promoting health by a novel approach to multimodal exposures. By including a positive outlook on physical and social environments Equal-Life stimulates a more holistic approach to environmental planning for different life stages and health equity.
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