Kelly Mackenzie

Born and Bred in Doncaster, a birth cohort study, reaches milestone 2500 participants following ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic’ Born and Bred in Doncaster (BaBi-D), a research programme aiming to help improve the health and well-being of children and families across Doncaster, recruited its 2,500th participant earlier this year. To celebrate BaBi-D’s milestone and the project's second anniversary, the BaBi-D team hosted a teddy bears’ picnic at the Doncaster Central Family Hub on earlier in the summer, in collaboration with the Doncaster Remake Learning Festival. The session, attended by approximately 50 parents and their little ones, was designed for families with children aged up to four years. It featured numerous engaging activities for attendees and provided an opportunity to discuss the Born and Bred in Doncaster study with the Research Team at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH). The BaBi-D study is part of a national research scheme which aims to improve the health and wellbeing of local children and families, whilst maintaining a strong focus on health inequalities and inclusion. The data provided from this cohort study will help the Trust and participating partners gain a better understanding of what local families want and need from healthcare services across the borough, ensuring locally commissioned services are inclusive, with consideration of additional research for further understanding and improvement for our local population. BaBi-D was launched in June 2022 and in just under two years, has recruited over 2,500 participants to be a part of the groundbreaking study. Speaking about BaBi-D, Lois Mellor, BaBi Doncaster Principal Investigator and Director of Midwifery at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: “We are amazed to see how much the study has grown in just under two years. I want to thank all the participants who agreed to be part of this study and all the colleagues who supported the project. Dr. Sam Debbage, Director of Education and Research at DBTH, added: "Reaching 2,500 participants is a significant milestone for the BaBi-D study. We are incredibly grateful for the community's support and enthusiasm. This achievement highlights the collective effort to enhance health and wellbeing in Doncaster. We warmly invite more families to join us as we continue to make strides in this important research. "We’re looking forward to welcoming more participants onto BaBi-D and changing the future of the health and wellbeing of children and families across Doncaster for the better.” To find out more about the study, please visit: dbth.nhs.uk/research-and-inn…