A unique, interactive platform for researchers to explore and visualize CHILD’s vast datasets
CHILDdb user guides | Instructional video | Access CHILDdb
CHILDdb provides an opportunity for researchers to explore CHILD data to study genetic and environmental factors influencing child health and development. No similar study has analyzed the home environment of such a large pregnancy-based cohort in such detail, with “environment” interpreted broadly to include physical, chemical, viral, bacterial, nutritional and psychosocial exposures.
Users can search and explore over 460 CHILD Study categories, including 347 questionnaires, 74 clinical, 26 geospatial and 18 sample-derived datasets, with over 51,000 total variables linked to nearly 74 million total participant responses or measurements in the database, all collected across 12 time points from pregnancy to age 8 years.
Researchers can create an account to view metadata and aggregate data; access demographic data summaries based on selected variables; and submit a scientific Concept Proposal for approval to access individual-level study data.
For CHILD Cohort Study (CHILD) microbiome data, researchers can access the publicly available raw sequencing reads deposited in various BioProjects. These datasets offer a flexible and rigorous starting point for high-quality microbiome research.
Integration of microbiota sequencing data with clinical endpoints, demographic data, environmental exposures, and other microbiota-associated profiles, such as stool metabolomics, is still supported through CHILDdb.
Raw microbiome datasets from CHILD currently available through BioProjects
| Data/Sample Type | Timepoint(s) | Sequencing Type | BioProject ID |
| Raw nasal microbiome data | 3M and 1Y | (16S rRNA gene sequencing) | PRJNA1127065 |
| Raw gut microbiome data | 3M and 1Y | (16S rRNA gene sequencing) | PRJNA657821 |
| Raw gut microbiome data | 3M and 1Y | (shotgun metagenomics) | PRJNA838575 |
| Raw milk microbiome data | 3M | (16S rRNA gene sequencing) | PRJNA481046 and PRJNA597997 |
- Technical Data: Minimal technical data (batch, exact age at sampling, visit number, and time from sample collection to long-term storage) are freely available upon request. Researchers may obtain this information by contacting the corresponding authors of the associated manuscripts or by emailing child@mcmaster.ca.
- Preprocessing Methods: Detailing preprocessing steps are available within published manuscripts citing these BioProjects. Depending on the age of the study, in some instances related code may also be available from the corresponding authors upon request.
- Data Linkage: Linkage of the samples to CHILD participant IDs and all other CHILD variables (including clinical endpoints, demographic data, and environmental exposures) will continue to require completion of the standard concept proposal process within CHILDdb.
The CHILDdb landing page
The CHILDdb database page displaying tabular results of CHILD Study variables
An example Scientific Concept Proposal (data request) in CHILDdb
How to use CHILDdb
Create, develop & submit a Concept Proposal (8m 30s)
Skip to specific content within the video tutorial:
Intro to CHILDdb & training video (19m 22s)
Explore data in CHILDdb (5m 5s)
Create, develop & submit a Concept Proposal (8m 30s)
Skip to specific content within the video tutorial: