Born in Scotland (BiS)

Born in Scotland is an ongoing observational longitudinal study set to capture a contemporary and representative cohort of mothers in Scotland and provide a valuable research resource to assess current clinical issues and health disparities and investigate the drivers of long-term maternal and child wellbeing. The current pilot study is open to recruitment and is testing consent models. The scale-up study intends to include 100,000 pregnant women and their children, constituting a diverse, flexible, and nationally representative maternity cohort. It is embedded within the NHS services, capitalising on capturing routinely collected data and biological samples, and allowing linkage to additional clinical and demographic data through the unique Community Health Index (CHI) number.

The pilot study currently targets all women aged 18-50 years old, living in Edinburgh and the Lothians and the Borders, and who are planning to give birth in Scotland, offering recruitment during any of the routine antenatal booking appointments. Data from the participants is extracted from the electronic maternity records, neonatal units, and clinical and diagnostic results. Biological samples are retrieved from hospital laboratories using samples that would otherwise be discarded after clinical use or collected at birth. The aim is to use the cohort to link to future maternal and child health and social care records to address key research questions to improve maternal and child health in Scotland.