Baby health: University of Graz is seeking study participants to investigate early risk factors

Why do babies' body compositions vary so much? The research project “Small Bodies—Big Questions” aims to answer that question. Photo: Oksana/Adobe Stock.

Why does the body composition of babies vary so much? Some children gain a significant amount of fat mass within a few weeks, whilst others show hardly any change over the same period. “At the same time, initial observations suggest that fat distribution in all babies may follow a similar pattern, regardless of their total body fat,” explains Marco Höfler from the Institute of Movement Sciences, Sport and Health at the University of Graz. He is coordinating the research project ‘Small Bodies – Big Questions’, for which participants are currently still being sought: pregnant women and babies up to four weeks old.

What makes this study unique is that the babies are examined five times during their first year of life. “This makes it possible, for the first time, to track how body composition develops from birth to their first birthday,” explains Höfler.

Comprehensive insight

At the heart of “Small Bodies – Big Questions” is a combination of innovative measurement methods, which – thanks to collaborations with research institutions in Finland, the UK and Austria – are being brought together in a single study for the first time. For example, the PEA POD analyser at FH Joanneum determines the children’s body composition. This data is supplemented by an ultrasound method specially adapted for infants. In addition, an environmental sensor designed specifically at the University of Graz records light, noise levels and air quality in the home environment. The babies also wear nappies fitted with a motion sensor that records their sleeping position and movements, thereby providing an indication of the quality of their night’s sleep.

>> Link: Go directly to the study <<

Contact:
Marco Höfler, BEd BSc MEd MSc
Institute of Movement Sciences, Sport and Health, University of Graz
Tel.: +43/(0)316/380–2321
Email: marco.hoefler(at)uni-graz.at

Gerhild Leljak

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