Drakenstein Child Health Study: Lung Function Pre-term Public Engagement Report

The Drakenstein Child Health Study (DCHS) pulmonary function sub-study (PFT) has longitudinally assessed lung function in children from birth through to 8 years and is ongoing at 10 years. This has contributed to better understanding what children need to achieve healthy lung growth and development through early childhood, an important time for lung growth and with lifelong consequences. The study has identified things we can try and change to maximize lung health and which children are most at risk and should be prioritized for care and intervention.

This public engagement activity aligned with feeding back research findings to participant families enrolled in the DCHS PFT study, We planned two public engagement events with the objectives of:

1.Providing relevant feedback on study findings on lung health outcomes to families of children born preterm.

2.Engaging with families of children born preterm to understand the unique challenges experienced and their priorities for the future regarding their child’s health.