Periodic Reporting for period 3 - Equal-Life (Early Environmental quality and life-course mental health effects)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-01-01 do 2023-12-31
Equal-Life studies the long-term effects of environmental exposures during childhood on mental health and cognition. Combined exposures, effects and mediating processes are studied in eleven cohorts and school studies, using targeted and untargeted approaches. By enriching the data Equal-Life provides insight into the mental health aspects of exposures hitherto untapped. Based on these insights, and after consulting with stakeholders the ground is laid for preventive actions and, if feasible, recommendations for local policy makers in Europe, thus contributing to healthier environments for European children.
Against this background, Equal-Life pursues four general objectives:
Objective #1: Equal-Life seeks to innovate internal and external exposure assessment, combining positive and negative aspects of early life physical and social environments..
Objective #2: Defines and maps the (environmental) health enhancing and risk factors of mental health and cognitive development by mapping the environmental features which are relevant for restoration.
Objective #3: Composes and explores a set of interventions for different life-stages with the purpose to enhance the quality of locations and spaces relevant for children’s activities.
Objective #4: Develops a “living” Equal-Life digital Toolkit and Guidance document anticipating
scenarios of changes in health distribution if a specific exposome is altered
at different levels as part of policy.
Achievement of these objectives are a prerequisite for development of environmental health policy responses to create restorative environments for all children.
Against this background, Equal-Life pursues four general objectives:
Objective #1: Equal-Life seeks to innovate internal and external exposure assessment, combining positive and negative aspects of early life physical and social environments..
Objective #2: Defines and maps the (environmental) health enhancing and risk factors of mental health and cognitive development by mapping the environmental features which are relevant for restoration.
Objective #3: Composes and explores a set of interventions for different life-stages with the purpose to enhance the quality of locations and spaces relevant for children’s activities.
Objective #4: Develops a “living” Equal-Life digital Toolkit and Guidance document anticipating
scenarios of changes in health distribution if a specific exposome is altered
at different levels as part of policy.
Achievement of these objectives are a prerequisite for development of environmental health policy responses to create restorative environments for all children.
The work performed in Equal-Life is subdivided into seven steps (see Figure 1. The following work has been carried out during months 1-48 of the project:
1. DEFINE: The definition documents on key outcomes and mechanisms were brought together in D5.5. This deliverable now guides the work in tool development and refining the characterization of the exposome for mental health.
Three out of six reviews updated until 2023 are published in a special issue of Environmental Research “Exposome perspective on child health”. (ISSN 0013-9351)),
2. CONSULT and SELECT: A protocol and codes were developed to select and analyse plasma samples from children with high and low risk of mental health problems for biomarker analysis. Stakeholder consultation using a Delphi approach and interviews continued in a series of fora and co-design workshops in hybrid and in person formats.
3. COLLECT: The available cohort and school study data have been harmonised and codes have been prepared for non-targeted and targeted analysis.
4. MATCH: Address coordinates of the birth cohort and school study data were linked to (historic) exposure data, GIS data and open source data including indicators of the natural environment, built environment for all cohorts. Based on the improved traffic modelling enrichment on air- and noise pollution is now being prepared for several regions, to be extended in 2024.
5. ANALYSE: In Figure 2 the analyses process is summarised. Non -targeted analysis per cohort have been performed per key health outcome. A series of hackathons was organised to harmonise the pooled analyses across studies. Biomarker analyses was performed and linked markers to external exposome in two explorative cohorts, to be validated in other cohorts. Several peer reviewed papers saw light in high impact journals and a patent was applied for. Cross sectional analysis in in depth studies are now available with mixed evidence. Sleep comes forward as an important mediator but larger samples are needed to confirm this. The results show an urgent need for an integrated approach of the exposome in the different domains.
6&7. TRANSLATE and COMMUNICATE: The final structure of the toolbox and handbook is realised and a toolbox prototype is available on an interactive website. An editorial board organises, incorporates, and translates the Equal-Life project’s results into the toolbox and the handbook. Results give direction to the focus of preventive action and scenarios.
1. DEFINE: The definition documents on key outcomes and mechanisms were brought together in D5.5. This deliverable now guides the work in tool development and refining the characterization of the exposome for mental health.
Three out of six reviews updated until 2023 are published in a special issue of Environmental Research “Exposome perspective on child health”. (ISSN 0013-9351)),
2. CONSULT and SELECT: A protocol and codes were developed to select and analyse plasma samples from children with high and low risk of mental health problems for biomarker analysis. Stakeholder consultation using a Delphi approach and interviews continued in a series of fora and co-design workshops in hybrid and in person formats.
3. COLLECT: The available cohort and school study data have been harmonised and codes have been prepared for non-targeted and targeted analysis.
4. MATCH: Address coordinates of the birth cohort and school study data were linked to (historic) exposure data, GIS data and open source data including indicators of the natural environment, built environment for all cohorts. Based on the improved traffic modelling enrichment on air- and noise pollution is now being prepared for several regions, to be extended in 2024.
5. ANALYSE: In Figure 2 the analyses process is summarised. Non -targeted analysis per cohort have been performed per key health outcome. A series of hackathons was organised to harmonise the pooled analyses across studies. Biomarker analyses was performed and linked markers to external exposome in two explorative cohorts, to be validated in other cohorts. Several peer reviewed papers saw light in high impact journals and a patent was applied for. Cross sectional analysis in in depth studies are now available with mixed evidence. Sleep comes forward as an important mediator but larger samples are needed to confirm this. The results show an urgent need for an integrated approach of the exposome in the different domains.
6&7. TRANSLATE and COMMUNICATE: The final structure of the toolbox and handbook is realised and a toolbox prototype is available on an interactive website. An editorial board organises, incorporates, and translates the Equal-Life project’s results into the toolbox and the handbook. Results give direction to the focus of preventive action and scenarios.
Current legislation regarding environmental exposures for children and adolescents is far from optimal.
The results of Equal-Life will contribute to a more holistic approach by focussing more on the positive effects of the environment and looking at the accumulation of environmental “bads” rather than the assessment of individual legal limit values of e.g. air pollution.
In M1-M48 Equal-Life has brought together a highly interdisciplinary team and set the groundwork to make optimal use of the expertise involved. Information was shared with the European Human Exposome Network and presented at conferences with a broader audience with the aim to raise awareness about the inequalities of the quality of environments children grow up in and consequences later on in life.
The results of Equal-Life will contribute to a more holistic approach by focussing more on the positive effects of the environment and looking at the accumulation of environmental “bads” rather than the assessment of individual legal limit values of e.g. air pollution.
In M1-M48 Equal-Life has brought together a highly interdisciplinary team and set the groundwork to make optimal use of the expertise involved. Information was shared with the European Human Exposome Network and presented at conferences with a broader audience with the aim to raise awareness about the inequalities of the quality of environments children grow up in and consequences later on in life.