A better childhood, one baby at a time
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Help us make history. Again.
A better childhood, one baby at a time.
About a decade ago, SAHMRI led the world’s largest trial of omega-3 supplements for mums-to-be.
Now we need your help again, because thousands of children from that initial trial are growing up. We only have a short window to study their childhoods. Will you help?
Give a gift to support Women and Kids health this Christmas.
The research
A healthy childhood may start before a baby is even born
SAHMRI's Women and Kids team found that women with low omega-3 levels were at greater risk of their babies arriving early, and supplementation could reduce that risk.
For babies born too soon, the consequences can be life changing. Sometimes they don’t survive.
In a world-first, we’ve taken our research out of the lab and into the community, developing the Omega-3 Test-and-Treat Program. It enables expectant mothers to have their omega-3 levels tested and, if their levels are low, they can be given targeted supplementation advice to help reduce their risk of having a baby born too soon.
SAHMRI's work has now translated into a sustainable preterm birth prevention initiative, delivered in partnership with SA Pathology. Pregnant women in South Australia can now access omega-3 testing through SA Pathology as part of routine antenatal care.
It's all part of SAHMRI creating healthier futures – thanks to your support.
In five years of the Omega-3 Test-and-Treat Program
40,000+
women tested
17%
were low in omega-3
6,800
women who could benefit
My doctor checked my omega-3 levels as part of my routine pregnancy blood testing. When I received the results, I found out I was low and started supplementing. I was so grateful to learn about omega-3 in pregnancy.
Amy and baby Amber, born full term
Donate nowNow we have another idea…
What if the omega-3 sweet spot reaches beyond birth? What if it also helps lay a stronger foundation for children to enjoy healthier childhoods?
Today the children from our omega-3 trial are aged between 8 and 12. While we know the immediate outcomes of their births and whether they arrived early or at term, we don’t know how they have fared since.
We suspect that omega-3 may do more than help prevent early preterm birth; could correcting mums’ low omega-3 levels also support their children’s development, reduce their risk of asthma, eczema and allergies, and even improve their learning?
With these children on the verge of entering their teens, time is running out for us to understand their childhood development.
This is where you come in
By supporting our Women and Kids team, you can help turn an idea into evidence and make history, again.
Time is of the essence – they won’t be children forever.
What we learn could make a massive difference to the babies of tomorrow, helping us understand how omega-3 supplementation during pregnancy shapes children’s health and development as they grow.
Your donation could help unlock new knowledge to boost maternal and child health, enabling crucial clinical trials, and translating findings from theories into treatments.
Donate nowMake a Christmas gift – all donations over $2 are tax deductible.
Help us make history. Again.
Donate todayOur research in pregnancy and newborn health
SAHMRI is located on Kaurna Country. We pay respects to the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We are committed to embracing knowledge and culture as we continue our working journey to incorporate Aboriginal health research across all of our themes and further reconciliation.
Read more"Tirki nguta tappa tangka marninithi"
(Learning and knowledge are the pathway to alter the mind)
- Uncle Lewis Yerloburka O’Brien, Kaurna Elder
