Childhood and Environment

Children’s health is considered a priority at the international level—and also at ISGlobal. Our Childhood and Environment programme focuses on evaluating the effects of environmental pollutants on children’s health , with particular emphasis on exposure during pregnancy and the postnatal period. The figure below describes the main areas of research interest in this field:
- Exposures
—Urban environment (e.g. air pollution, noise, green spaces, pedestrian areas, temperature, light)
—Indoor pollution (e.g. air pollution, mould)
—Water pollution (e.g. chlorination by-products, microplastics)
—Toxic chemical compounds (e.g. persistent organic pollutants, bisphenol A, phthalates, pesticides, heavy metals)
—Electromagnetic fields
—Lifestyle (e.g. nutrition, physical activity, sleep)
—Social determinants (e.g. restrictions, socio-economic status, education)
—Genetics - Biological responses
—Epigenetics
—Metabolomics and proteins
—Immune system
—Microbiota - Health impacts
—Neurodevelopment and mental health
—Obesity and cardiometabolic health
—Respiratory health and allergies
—Foetal growth and birth outcomes
—Puberty
ISGlobal-Led Birth Cohorts
Within the Childhood and Environment programme, there is a strong focus on longitudinal birth cohort research. We are currently leading a Spanish network of birth cohorts called the INMA Environment and Childhood Project as well as the BiSC birth cohort (in Barcelona and the surrounding metropolitan area).
ISGlobal-Led Birth Cohort Networks
ISGlobal has also been instrumental in building a birth cohort network in Europe through three European projects: ENRIECO, from 2009 to 2011; CHICOS, from 2010 to 2013; and LIFECYCLE, from 2017 to 2021. These efforts have resulted in a framework for data sharing and harmonisation across than 30 European birth cohorts.
Our Team
Head
- Martine Vrijheid Head of the Childhood and Environment Programme, Research Professor and Coordinator of INMA-Sabadell Cohort
Our Team
- Jordi Sunyer Research Professor
- Mònica Guxens Associate Research Professor
- Maribel CASAS Assistant Research Professor
- Maria Foraster Assistant Research Professor
- Mireia Gascon Assistant Research Professor
- Ioar Rivas Assistant Research Professor
Highlighted Projects
APACHE
Air Pollution, Autism spectrum disorders, and brain imaging in CHildren amongst Europe
LIFECYCLE
Early-life stressors and LifeCycle health
ATHLETE
Advancing Tools for Human Early Lifecourse Exposome Research and Translation
MOOD-COVID
Pre- and post-natal Maternal mental health and newbOrn neurOdevelopment during the COVID-19 panDemic
EUCAN-Connect
A federated FAIR platform enabling large-scale analysis of high-value cohort data connecting Europe and Canada in personalized health
OBERON
An integrative strategy of testing systems for identification of EDs related to metabolic disorders
AURORA 2021
Actionable eUropean ROadmap for early-life health Risk Assessment of micro- and nanoplastics
ONES
Fine Particle Matter, Fetal Growth, and Neurodevelopment: Examining Critical Windows of Susceptibility
AIR-NB
Pre-natal exposure to urban AIR pollution and pre- and post-Natal Brain development
FRONTIER
Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Birth Weight: the Roles of Noise, Placental Function, Green Space, Physical Activity, and Socioeconomic Status
ALTER - Contaminación del aire, microbiota intestinal y neurodesarrollo en los primeros 24 meses de vida
Project Code: PI21/01278
UrbanKids
Urban and social environment and childhood obesity – a natural moving2health experiment
5G expOsure, causaL effects, and rIsk perception through citizen engAgemenT
GOLIAT
Base genética materna y fetal de la función placentaria
Project Code: PI20/01116
Other projects
See Past ProjectsEuropean Human Biomonitoring Initiative
HBM4EU
The Lungfit Project
Socioeconomic Status, Physical Activity, and Respiratory Health in Pregnant Women, Children, and Adolescents
ExPEC-TEEN
Prenatal Exposure to Environmental Pollutants and Metabolic and Cardiovascular Health of the Teenagers
HELIX-NAFLD
Developmental origins of child liver injury: the effect of early life environmental exposures
H2020-New URBAN_X
External and Internal Human Exposure in Urban EXposome
The APBO Project
Air Pollution and Birth Outcomes: Windows of Exposure and Health and Economic Impact Assessment
INMA-Ado-Sueño
Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, Noise, and Sleep Disorders in Adolescence
El impacto de la exposición al metaboloma de esteroides materno-fetales en el crecimiento infantil y los resultados neurológicos (IGRO)
Project Code: PI21/01269
NutinBrain
The role of seafood and nut consumption on human neurodevelopment from pregnancy to adolescence
EGG/EAGLE
Early Genetics Growth/Early Genetics and Lifecourse Epidemiology
PACE
Pregnancy and Childhood Epigenetics
Prenatal and Postnatal Windows Vulnerability in the Risk of Neurodevelopmental Delay Associated with Particulate Air Pollution
STOP - Childhood Obesity
Science and Technology in childhood Obesity Policy
UrbaMet
Entorno Urbano y Salud Cardiometabólica desde el Nacimiento hasta la Adolescencia
NutriPROGRAM
Early-life Nutritional Programming of Metabolic Health through Epigenetic Pathways
ANSES HyPAXE
Prenatal Exposure to a Family of Short Half-Life Endocrine Disruptors, Dysregulation of the Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis and Potential Implication for Child Neurodevelopment at Early Age
Air Pollution, Placental ‘Small Non-Coding RNAs’ and Brain Development
Contaminació atmosfèrica durant l’embaràs i primers anys de vida, miRNAs i salut infantil
The Role of Stress and Stress Reactivity in Mediating Impacts of Air Pollutants on the Brain and Lungs
EXPO-ENFANTS
Caractérisation des usages et de l’exposition aux radiofréquences induite par les dispositifs de communication mobiles chez les enfants
Lilli
Light at Night Exposure and Sleep Quality
EMBRYORAD
Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields, Other Environmental Factors, and Development of the Embryo and Fetus
Subclinical Infections in Children and Long Term Health Effects
Infection acquisition in early life and health outcomes in childhood - MARATO TV3