ORIGINS reaches new project milestone

Australia’s largest longitudinal birth cohort study of its kind – ORIGINS –  has reached a major milestone with the launch of its 8-Year Kids Checks, marking the study’s transition into the primary school years.

ORIGINS has been following these families from pregnancy, capturing their children's development from the very beginning of life. Now, thanks to support from the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, ORIGINS can track the children through their primary school years.

This phase introduces exciting new elements, including capturing the physical activity of parents and kids, and engaging with children to express their experiences and emotions on topics like their friendships, family, and climate change.  

What’s included in the ORIGINS 8-Year Kids Check: 

For the first time, all children and mothers will be fitted with a wearable device - a palm-sized, thin, stick-on device that will measure mother and child's sleep and physical activity for seven days - creating a snapshot of the physical activity families are currently undertaking in WA. 

ORIGINS is also introducing an innovative 'Voice of the Child' activity, where children express their experiences through drawing and guided conversation.

The exercise explores everything from friendships and family life to bigger concerns like climate change, ensuring children’s own perspectives are captured alongside clinical data.

In addition, children will undergo language and developmental screening, with results shared directly with parents to support early identification of any concerns and provide useful insights for schools.

Together, these measures will help build a clearer picture of the health of WA children and families and develop targeted intervention and prevention treatments to combat the development of chronic diseases.

The impact of ORIGINS

In late 2025, first-of-its-kind research from over 600 ORIGINS participants birthing records, showed newborns exclusively fed colostrum were five times less likely to develop a peanut allergy by 12 to 18 months, and 11 times less likely to develop a multiple food allergy, like egg or cow’s milk.

In 2022, allergies cost the Australian healthcare system over $7 billion, with 12,000 hospitalisations and an estimated 20 deaths from anaphylaxis.

Led by Professor Valerie Verhasselt and the Immunology and Breastfeeding team at The Kids, this is the first evidence to link exclusive colostrum intake with long-term health benefits to newborns.

The team’s research also showed that 50 per cent of WA newborns are being topped up with formula, missing out on some of its protective factors.

ORIGINS researchers emphasise that it was important to recognise that not all mothers were able to breastfeed - whether due to personal circumstances, health conditions, or medical needs that required supplementation for their newborns - but that it was imperative that parents of children who received formula during their first 72 hours of life are given clear, supportive guidance on how to reduce their child’s risk of developing allergies.