Participation
The Mutaba’ah Study is well accepted by the population with a very low refusal rate. Invitation for participation is limited to the Emirati population.
The study will recruit all pregnant women from this population as well as their offspring who are:
- Attending any of the three participating hospitals for their antenatal care management
- At least 18 years of age
- Resident in Al Ain
- Ideally in their first trimester (approximately 12 weeks of gestation)
- Able to provide informed consent, as well as their newborns
- Women with multiple pregnancies (pregnant with more than one fetus)
- Those who conceive multiple times during the study period
The study will not recruit
- Expatriates as they are less likely than the Emirati population to be available for long-term follow-up
- Pregnant women younger than 18 years or those who are unable to provide consent
- Women who are not currently pregnant