Database research in the Japan Environment and Children's Study

<p>The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) is a large-scale birth cohort study conducted since 2011. This study aimed to determine how environmental factors, particularly exposure to chemicals during fetal and childhood periods, affect children's health and development. In recent years, increasing health problems among children have resulted in growing concern about the impact of the environment, especially regarding the increasing amounts of chemical substances in children's surroundings. As children are particularly vulnerable to environmental impacts during their fetal and childhood periods, the implementation of environmental policies to protect their health is considered an urgent issue. Several cohort studies focusing on children have been conducted worldwide. Approximately 100,000 pregnant women, 50,000 fathers of children, and 100,000 newborns were registered in the JECS between 2011 and 2014. Currently, the JECS plans to continue collecting data until the children become 40 years of age. In addition to data from questionnaires, medical records, medical examinations, assessments of neuropsychiatric development, and environmental measurements, various biological samples including blood, urine, hair, breast milk, and baby teeth were collected. This paper outlines the plan for JECS, with a particular focus on data collection and management and presents some of the research and its findings.</p>