BACKGROUND: Numerous birth cohorts have been initiated in the world over the past 30 years using heterogeneous methods to assess the incidence, course and risk factors of asthma and allergies. The aim of the present work is to provide the stepwise proceedings of the development and current version of the harmonized MeDALL-Core Questionnaire (MeDALL-CQ) used prospectively in 11 European birth cohorts. METHODS: The harmonization of questions was accomplished in 4 steps: (i) collection of variables from 14 birth cohorts, (ii) consensus on questionnaire items, (iii) translation and back-translation of the harmonized English MeDALL-CQ into 8 other languages and (iv) implementation of the harmonized follow-up. RESULTS: Three harmonized MeDALL-CQs (2 for parents of children aged 4-9 and 14-18, 1 for adolescents aged 14-18) were developed and used for a harmonized follow-up assessment of 11 European birth cohorts on asthma and allergies with over 13,000 children. CONCLUSIONS: The harmonized MeDALL follow-up produced more comparable data across different cohorts and countries in Europe and will offer the possibility to verify results of former cohort analyses. Thus, MeDALL can become the starting point to stringently plan, conduct and support future common asthma and allergy research initiatives in Europe.
BACKGROUND: Numerous birth cohorts have been initiated in the world over the past 30 years using heterogeneous methods to assess the incidence, course and risk factors of asthma and allergies. The aim of the present work is to provide the stepwise proceedings of the development and current version of the harmonized MeDALL-Core Questionnaire (MeDALL-CQ) used prospectively in 11 European birth cohorts. METHODS: The harmonization of questions was accomplished in 4 steps: (i) collection of variables from 14 birth cohorts, (ii) consensus on questionnaire items, (iii) translation and back-translation of the harmonized English MeDALL-CQ into 8 other languages and (iv) implementation of the harmonized follow-up. RESULTS: Three harmonized MeDALL-CQs (2 for parents of children aged 4-9 and 14-18, 1 for adolescents aged 14-18) were developed and used for a harmonized follow-up assessment of 11 European birth cohorts on asthma and allergies with over 13,000 children. CONCLUSIONS: The harmonized MeDALL follow-up produced more comparable data across different cohorts and countries in Europe and will offer the possibility to verify results of former cohort analyses. Thus, MeDALL can become the starting point to stringently plan, conduct and support future common asthma and allergy research initiatives in Europe.
Authors: Caroline-Aleksi Olsson Mägi; Anders Bjerg Bäcklund; Karin Lødrup Carlsen; Catarina Almqvist; Kai-Håkon Carlsen; Berit Granum; Guttorm Haugen; Katarina Hilde; Oda C Lødrup Carlsen; Christine Monceyron Jonassen; Eva Maria Rehbinder; Katrine D Sjøborg; Håvard Skjerven; Anne Cathrine Staff; Riyas Vettukattil; Cilla Söderhäll; Björn Nordlund Journal: ERJ Open Res Date: 2020-10-13
Authors: Jean Bousquet; James E Gern; Fernando D Martinez; Josep M Anto; Christine C Johnson; Patrick G Holt; Robert F Lemanske; Peter N Le Souëf; Robert S Tepper; Erika R M von Mutius; S Hasan Arshad; Leonard B Bacharier; Allan Becker; Kathleen Belanger; Anna Bergström; David I Bernstein; Michael D Cabana; Kecia N Carroll; Mario Castro; Philip J Cooper; Matthew W Gillman; Diane R Gold; John Henderson; Joachim Heinrich; Soo-Jong Hong; Daniel J Jackson; Thomas Keil; Anita L Kozyrskyj; Karin C Lødrup Carlsen; Rachel L Miller; Isabelle Momas; Wayne J Morgan; Patricia Noel; Dennis R Ownby; Mariona Pinart; Patrick H Ryan; Julie M Schwaninger; Malcolm R Sears; Angela Simpson; Henriette A Smit; Debra A Stern; Padmaja Subbarao; Rudolf Valenta; Xiaobin Wang; Scott T Weiss; Robert Wood; Anne L Wright; Rosalind J Wright; Alkis Togias; Peter J Gergen Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2014-03-15 Impact factor: 10.793
Authors: Eleonora P Uphoff; Philippa K Bird; Joseph Maria Antó; Mikel Basterrechea; Andrea von Berg; Anna Bergström; Jean Bousquet; Leda Chatzi; Maria Pia Fantini; Amparo Ferrero; Ulrike Gehring; Davide Gori; Joachim Heinrich; Thomas Keil; Inger Kull; Susanne Lau; Dieter Maier; Isabelle Momas; Silvia Narduzzi; Daniela Porta; Fanny Ranciere; Theano Roumeliotaki; Tamara Schikowski; Henriette A Smit; Marie Standl; Jordi Sunyer; John Wright Journal: ERJ Open Res Date: 2017-07-03
Authors: Jesse D Thacher; Ulrike Gehring; Olena Gruzieva; Marie Standl; Göran Pershagen; Carl-Peter Bauer; Dietrich Berdel; Theresa Keller; Sibylle Koletzko; Gerard H Koppelman; Inger Kull; Susanne Lau; Irina Lehmann; Dieter Maier; Tamara Schikowski; Ulrich Wahn; Alet H Wijga; Joachim Heinrich; Jean Bousquet; Josep M Anto; Andrea von Berg; Erik Melén; Henriette A Smit; Thomas Keil; Anna Bergström Journal: Environ Health Perspect Date: 2018-04-12 Impact factor: 9.031
Authors: J Bousquet; J M Anto; M Akdis; C Auffray; T Keil; I Momas; D S Postma; R Valenta; M Wickman; A Cambon-Thomsen; T Haahtela; B N Lambrecht; K C Lodrup Carlsen; G H Koppelman; J Sunyer; T Zuberbier; I Annesi-Maesano; A Arno; C Bindslev-Jensen; G De Carlo; F Forastiere; J Heinrich; M L Kowalski; D Maier; E Melén; S Palkonen; H A Smit; M Standl; J Wright; A Asarnoj; M Benet; N Ballardini; J Garcia-Aymerich; U Gehring; S Guerra; C Hohman; I Kull; C Lupinek; M Pinart; I Skrindo; M Westman; D Smagghe; C Akdis; R Albang; V Anastasova; N Anderson; C Bachert; S Ballereau; F Ballester; X Basagana; A Bedbrook; A Bergstrom; A von Berg; B Brunekreef; E Burte; K H Carlsen; L Chatzi; J M Coquet; M Curin; P Demoly; E Eller; M P Fantini; B Gerhard; H Hammad; L von Hertzen; V Hovland; B Jacquemin; J Just; T Keller; M Kerkhof; R Kiss; M Kogevinas; S Koletzko; S Lau; I Lehmann; N Lemonnier; R McEachan; M Mäkelä; J Mestres; E Minina; P Mowinckel; R Nadif; M Nawijn; S Oddie; J Pellet; I Pin; D Porta; F Rancière; A Rial-Sebbag; Y Saeys; M J Schuijs; V Siroux; C G Tischer; M Torrent; R Varraso; J De Vocht; K Wenger; S Wieser; C Xu Journal: Allergy Date: 2016-08-23 Impact factor: 13.146
Authors: Cynthia Hohmann; Theresa Keller; Ulrike Gehring; Alet Wijga; Marie Standl; Inger Kull; Anna Bergstrom; Irina Lehmann; Andrea von Berg; Joachim Heinrich; Susanne Lau; Ulrich Wahn; Dieter Maier; Josep Anto; Jean Bousquet; Henriette Smit; Thomas Keil; Stephanie Roll Journal: BMJ Open Respir Res Date: 2019-09-13