Recruitment for child development study
Date of release: 27 August 2024
Parents in Wolverhampton with babies that were born early or had difficulties around birth are being invited to take part in a study aiming to find out if a nutritional supplement can help child development.
The Research Team at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has joined the DOLFIN study (Developmental Outcomes of Long-term Feed Supplementation in Neonates), which looks at whether the food supplement helps with how children think, communicate and play.
The trial is aiming to recruit 1,010 babies from approximately 30 Neonatal Units across the UK.
Laura Devison, Clinical Research Practitioner at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said recruitment was going well at New Cross Hospital.
She said: “This research will help improve our understanding about whether a small food supplement can help with their development.
“It’s up to parents if they want to take part, and our teams are here to answer any questions or to discuss the study in more detail.
“We currently have 16 babies enrolled into the study. It is open for recruitment until December 2024.”
Dr Sophie Reynolds is the Principal Investigator for the study at the Trust.
She said: “Babies who are born very early, or who suffer poor blood supply or lack of oxygen to the brain before or around birth, are more likely to have problems with their brain development and child neurological development.
“This may affect how children think and learn, communicate, play, and interact with the world around them.
“The research study will help improve our understanding about whether a small food supplement can help with their development.”
The trial asks parents to give the supplement to their baby once a day for one year after their original due date and to fill out a few questions throughout the year.
Half of the babies will be given the supplement and half will receive a placebo supplement, allowing researchers to compare the results.
The supplement contains nutrients from a healthy diet, including small amounts of fish, and cow’s milk.
DOLFIN is managed by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Clinical Trials Unit (NPEU CTU) at the University of Oxford and sponsored by The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Results from the DOLFIN study will be published in a medical journal and the report will be made available on the study’s website.
ENDS
- For further information, please email amy.downward@nhs.net
