| Project team at the institute | Jon Genuneit |
GABRIEL is a major Europe-wide project funded by the EU. The study is led by recognised experts and doctors. The sub-project presented here is being carried out simultaneously in Germany (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria), Switzerland, Austria and Poland.
In the GABRIEL study, almost 180,000 primary school pupils were asked to take part in a baseline survey in 2006. There were 40,000 in Baden-Württemberg alone, and follow-up surveys are still being carried out in Baden-Württemberg with over 2,000 children and young people.
The aim of GABRIEL is to investigate the causes of asthma and allergies. Allergic diseases, e.g. hay fever, neurodermatitis and asthma, are among the most common illnesses in childhood. Not only those affected suffer from the consequences, but also their family members - often for the rest of their lives. In order to protect children from these diseases, it is necessary to better understand the causes and triggers. It is currently known that allergic diseases are caused by a combination of heredity and environmental influences. The individual factors involved have not yet been clarified. One particularly interesting finding in recent years is that asthma and allergies occur less frequently in rural areas. The GABRIEL study is trying to identify the reasons for this. If this is successful, we will be a big step closer to developing suitable measures to prevent and treat these diseases.
| Contribution of the institute | Development of the study design and implementation of the survey in Baden-Württemberg Data management and coordination of the European Data Centre Epidemiological evaluation of the data |
| Funding period | 03/2006 - 02/2010 (baseline survey) |
| Cooperation partners | Detailed information on the website of the international project |
| Project funding | EU Framework Programme 6 (baseline survey) Ulm University (follow-up survey, 1st funding period) DFG (follow-up survey, 2nd funding period) This work was supported by the European Commission as part of GABRIEL (A multidisciplinary study to identify the genetic and environmental causes of asthma in the European Community) contract number 018996 under the FP6-LIFESCIHEALTH Integrated Program LSH-2004-1.2.5-1. |
The study locations
GABRIEL are located in Baden-Württemberg in the following districts.
Alb-Danube and city of Ulm (UL)
The districts and municipalities were selected on the basis of the number and type of farms.
Procedure of the study
In November 2006, in agreement with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, over 300 Baden-Württemberg primary schools in the above-mentioned districts were visited by staff from the Institute of Epidemiology. During the visit, the class teachers were given packs for each individual pupil containing information material and a short questionnaire on asthma and allergies as well as contact with farms. In total, almost 40,000 questionnaires were distributed. Over 23,000 pupils took part in the study.
In order to be able to make a more precise statement about the connection between contact with or living on farms and asthma and allergies, almost 2,500 primary school pupils were invited to take part in an in-depth study in a second phase. Over 90% responded to this call. The survey took place in primary schools between April and July 2007. Among other things, a questionnaire was again used, but blood was also taken and the children were measured and weighed.
The survey in Baden-Württemberg has now been completed. Our Bavarian partners carried out a third phase of the study with around 900 children until summer 2008, in which expensive and detailed examination methods were used.
Results
The first results were already distributed to the schools during the second phase and can be viewed in a results brochure.
| Study management | PD Dr Jon Genuneit |
| Staff member | Jennifer Wong |
Many changes occur during adolescence in particular. Puberty also plays a role in the development of asthma and allergies. In 2006 and 2007, two phases of the GABRIEL study were already carried out in Baden-Württemberg. At that time, many families provided significant support for this large, international research project on the causes of asthma and allergies in children.
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There have been no studies to date on the impact of the rural environment on asthma and allergies up to young adulthood. It is therefore particularly important for us now to find out whether asthma or allergies develop in the participants from back then and how these diseases progress.
We are therefore conducting a follow-up survey to the GABRIEL study. As with any large-scale population study, it is important that everyone takes part. Of course, this includes those who are fortunately healthy and will hopefully remain so.
The GABRIEL study was an enormous success due to the large number of schools, parents and children who took part. The presentation of the study at international conferences has attracted a great deal of interest. Initial scientific analyses have produced important and promising results on the prevalence of asthma and allergies in our region.
It is now important for us to see how children's health continues to develop. In order to deepen our understanding of these diseases and to further realise the success of the GABRIEL study in the follow-up survey, we are once again dependent on the help of the former participants.
| Project team at the institute | Jon Genuneit |
The HERA project is a follow-up project to the GABRIEL project. It is funded by a grant from the European Research Council (ERC) from Prof Dr Erika von Mutius (LMU, Munich).
In this project, samples and data collected as part of the GABRIEL project will be further analysed and evaluated.
| Contribution of the institute | Collaboration on the study design Data management and coordination of the European Data Centre Epidemiological evaluation of the data |
| Funding period | 06/2010 - 05/2015 |
| Cooperation partner | Dr von Haunersches Kinderspital, LMU Munich, DE Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, University of Utrecht, NL National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK |
| Project funding | ERC Advanced Investigators Grant |