Still have questions? We will be happy to answer them.
Why is participation in this project important?
You and your child actively contribute to medical research and help to expand the understanding of vaccinations and their effects. You can actively shape medical research with your feedback.
How will I benefit from participating in the study?
- You and your child are part of an innovative cohort study, regardless of whether, how and when you have your child vaccinated.
- This study is not intended to influence your own free decision.
- You support the acquisition of knowledge through scientific observation.
- You will be the first to be informed as soon as interim results are available.
- You can make suggestions for improvement and thus contribute to the success of the study.
What questions are we asked?
For example, we ask:
- When and with what did you have your child immunised?
- What illnesses does your child suffer from? We are particularly interested in allergies (asthma, neurodermatitis, hay fever, food allergies)
- When and by whom were you advised about immunisation?
- What information did you receive?
- What is the best vaccination advice for you?
How will my data be used?
Your data will be treated confidentially. Personal data will be recorded on electronic data carriers at Witten/Herdecke University and deleted after completion of the study, unless a follow-up study has been requested. They will not be published under any circumstances, will only be accessible to the study management and task-related employees and will only be used to contact you, e.g. in the event of uncertainties.
How long does participation in the study take?
Participation lasts about five years. It is best to start at U3, when your baby is four to six weeks old, and ends with U9, when your child is around five years old. Five interviews take place in the first year of life, two in the second and then once a year.
How time-consuming is it to participate as a parent?
You will receive online questionnaires that you can complete from the comfort of your own home in around 5 to 30 minutes. The duration depends on your child's state of health. You can interrupt the survey at any time and continue later.
How time-consuming is participation for me as a multiplier?
As a multiplier, we ask you to request flyers and pass them on to the parents. If you are a doctor, parents may present you with a one-page questionnaire for the U9, in which you should confirm the occurrence of the study endpoints.
Is there a risk for me or my child?
No. Your child's treatments and examinations will remain unchanged. You will only answer questions on the topics mentioned.
How can I cancel my participation?
If you wish to cancel your participation, please send an e-mail with your name to: initial@uni-wh.de.
I have moved house or my mobile phone number/email address has changed, who can I let know?
If your contact details change, you can update them. To do this, simply send an email to enter your old and new details.
Why can I no longer register for the study if my child is older than three months?
Previous studies that have examined children retrospectively have produced contradictory results. We would therefore like to record the data at the exact time of the respective health event (e.g. illness or vaccination). This should increase the informative value of this study.
It may be possible at a later date to participate with children up to their first birthday.
Why should babies be younger than six weeks old when they enter the study?
At this point, the babies are still completely unvaccinated (according to the recommendation). The parents are still in the decision-making process or can accept counselling. This is important for assessing the need for counselling, which is recorded by a before-and-after survey (before the first recommended vaccination block and afterwards). In addition, early entry into the study allows as many pre-existing conditions and influencing factors as possible to be recorded.
The latest participation in the entire study is at twelve weeks in order to be able to record possible vaccination reactions at an early stage.
Will vaccination counselling be provided by those responsible for the study?
No, the survey is purely observational.
Is it possible to participate outside of Germany?
No, the recommendations and vaccines are too different. If you would like to conduct a study in your country yourself, we will be happy to advise you(initial@uni-wh.de).
Why should parents be invited by multipliers (doctors, midwives, etc.) if possible?
The invitation by multipliers enables us to record their attitudes on the one hand and to determine the participation rate and access routes on the other. In this way, we aim to increase the quality of the study.