Feasibility of home-based urine collection in children under 5 years in the ORIGINS birth cohort study: mixed method protocol and sample completion results

Abstract Background Urine is an attractive biospecimen for nutritional status and population health surveys. It is an excellent non-invasive alternative to blood for appropriate biomarkers in young children and is suitable for home-based collection, enabling representative collections across a popul...

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Main Authors: Courtney D. A. Kidd, Najma A. Moumin, Andrea MacRae, Tim J. Green, Desiree T. Silva, Susan L. Prescott, Nina D’Vaz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-01-01
Series:BMC Nutrition
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-025-00993-8
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author Courtney D. A. Kidd
Najma A. Moumin
Andrea MacRae
Tim J. Green
Desiree T. Silva
Susan L. Prescott
Nina D’Vaz
author_facet Courtney D. A. Kidd
Najma A. Moumin
Andrea MacRae
Tim J. Green
Desiree T. Silva
Susan L. Prescott
Nina D’Vaz
author_sort Courtney D. A. Kidd
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Urine is an attractive biospecimen for nutritional status and population health surveys. It is an excellent non-invasive alternative to blood for appropriate biomarkers in young children and is suitable for home-based collection, enabling representative collections across a population. However, the bulk of literature in this population is restricted to collection in primary care settings. Feasibility of home-based collection at scale has not been tested. Here, we describe a mixed method approach to collect urine samples in a large cohort study with children under 5 years. Methods The ORIGINS Project is an ongoing birth cohort investigating early life influences on child health outcomes in Perth, Australia. Recruitment began in 2017, with 3713 children consented by December 2022. Urine is collected longitudinally from children between 2 months and 5 years of age. Mixed methods for sample collection and return accommodates requirements across various ages and study timepoints. Uniquely, courier collection and postal kit deliveries were established in response to participant feedback regarding difficulty with in-person sample drop-offs with young children. Results Over half of all eligible caregivers (1929/3713, 52%) returned a sample, 91% meeting quality standards. A third of all samples were returned by courier, with the highest uptake at 2–6 months of age, and increased uptake across all ages during COVID lockdowns. Caregivers cited being time-poor as the greatest barrier to sample completion and very few participants indicated difficulty with study methods. Conclusion Our data suggests that home-based urine collection using a mixed method approach is acceptable to caregivers at a large scale, supporting the use of urine for biomarker studies and population surveys with young children.
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spelling doaj-art-4427897115be48c5858b80b81d0bcd742025-01-19T12:13:14ZengBMCBMC Nutrition2055-09282025-01-0111111010.1186/s40795-025-00993-8Feasibility of home-based urine collection in children under 5 years in the ORIGINS birth cohort study: mixed method protocol and sample completion resultsCourtney D. A. Kidd0Najma A. Moumin1Andrea MacRae2Tim J. Green3Desiree T. Silva4Susan L. Prescott5Nina D’Vaz6Telethon Kids Institute, North Entrance Perth Children’s HospitalDiscipline of Paediatrics, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University AdelaideTelethon Kids Institute, North Entrance Perth Children’s HospitalSAHMRI Women and Kids Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research InstituteTelethon Kids Institute, North Entrance Perth Children’s HospitalTelethon Kids Institute, North Entrance Perth Children’s HospitalTelethon Kids Institute, North Entrance Perth Children’s HospitalAbstract Background Urine is an attractive biospecimen for nutritional status and population health surveys. It is an excellent non-invasive alternative to blood for appropriate biomarkers in young children and is suitable for home-based collection, enabling representative collections across a population. However, the bulk of literature in this population is restricted to collection in primary care settings. Feasibility of home-based collection at scale has not been tested. Here, we describe a mixed method approach to collect urine samples in a large cohort study with children under 5 years. Methods The ORIGINS Project is an ongoing birth cohort investigating early life influences on child health outcomes in Perth, Australia. Recruitment began in 2017, with 3713 children consented by December 2022. Urine is collected longitudinally from children between 2 months and 5 years of age. Mixed methods for sample collection and return accommodates requirements across various ages and study timepoints. Uniquely, courier collection and postal kit deliveries were established in response to participant feedback regarding difficulty with in-person sample drop-offs with young children. Results Over half of all eligible caregivers (1929/3713, 52%) returned a sample, 91% meeting quality standards. A third of all samples were returned by courier, with the highest uptake at 2–6 months of age, and increased uptake across all ages during COVID lockdowns. Caregivers cited being time-poor as the greatest barrier to sample completion and very few participants indicated difficulty with study methods. Conclusion Our data suggests that home-based urine collection using a mixed method approach is acceptable to caregivers at a large scale, supporting the use of urine for biomarker studies and population surveys with young children.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-025-00993-8ChildUrineORIGINSCohortBiobankHome collection
spellingShingle Courtney D. A. Kidd
Najma A. Moumin
Andrea MacRae
Tim J. Green
Desiree T. Silva
Susan L. Prescott
Nina D’Vaz
Feasibility of home-based urine collection in children under 5 years in the ORIGINS birth cohort study: mixed method protocol and sample completion results
BMC Nutrition
Child
Urine
ORIGINS
Cohort
Biobank
Home collection
title Feasibility of home-based urine collection in children under 5 years in the ORIGINS birth cohort study: mixed method protocol and sample completion results
title_full Feasibility of home-based urine collection in children under 5 years in the ORIGINS birth cohort study: mixed method protocol and sample completion results
title_fullStr Feasibility of home-based urine collection in children under 5 years in the ORIGINS birth cohort study: mixed method protocol and sample completion results
title_full_unstemmed Feasibility of home-based urine collection in children under 5 years in the ORIGINS birth cohort study: mixed method protocol and sample completion results
title_short Feasibility of home-based urine collection in children under 5 years in the ORIGINS birth cohort study: mixed method protocol and sample completion results
title_sort feasibility of home based urine collection in children under 5 years in the origins birth cohort study mixed method protocol and sample completion results
topic Child
Urine
ORIGINS
Cohort
Biobank
Home collection
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-025-00993-8
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