TARGet Kids! Registry
What is a Research Registry?
A research registry is a collection of information about individuals. With the TARGet Kids! registry, we are creating a database of information for future studies that aim to improve the health of children.
We enroll children in the TARGet Kids! registry through their paediatrician or family doctor’s offices during their regularly scheduled appointments. We collect information on height, weight, waist circumference, and lifestyle factors such as nutrition, physical activity and amount of screen time. We also collect a blood sample.
Blood work done on this young age group is outside the standard of care for normal well-child visits in Canada and provides our researchers and primary care physicians with an in-depth view of each child’s health status.
Why is this Registry program important?
The risk of life-threatening chronic illnesses in Canadian children is increasing.
Data from Statistics Canada show:
-
One in four children is overweight or has obesity.
-
Canadian children are, on average, inactive for almost two-thirds of their waking hours.
-
Inactivity is putting children at risk for Type II Diabetes and Heart Disease.
Furthermore:
-
Developmental disorders in children have increased by 15% in the last 10 years, with Autism Spectrum Disorder now affecting more than one in 100 children.
-
Over the next 20 years, 90% of deaths in Canada will be from chronic diseases, many of which we believe are preventable in childhood.
-
For the first time ever, children born today are projected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.
Primary care is a child's entry point into the healthcare system. Over 90% of Canadian children are seen at a primary healthcare practice in their early years. Primary care is therefore an ideal venue to learn about children’s health and to develop and test new interventions to promote healthy growth and development.
