More families in Ballarat and around regional Victoria are joining Australia's largest-ever child and parent research project, helping drive better health outcomes for the next generation of young Victorians.
Ballarat Health Services and St John of God Hospital have joined 27 other regional hospitals across the state taking part in the study, which will track the wellbeing of 150,000 Victorians throughout their lives in a pioneering bid to map the health of an entire generation of young people.
Expanding the project to regional areas will drive better health outcomes for children across the state, helping doctors and researchers identify if there are health issues that are specific or unique to certain areas.
Participating families will receive regular communication to ensure they are fully aware of the project's progression and how data will be used. Families can opt out of the study at any time.
So far, more than 5,000 newborns have become involved in the study, with a fifth of those born regionally. Data from the trial show a 99.1 per cent of parents feel positive about taking part in the voluntary initiative.
GenV is leading the world in studying the first post COVID-19 generation and will be able to measure the physical, economic and policy impacts of the virus across the population.
The Murdoch Children's Research Institute is leading the project and working with the Royal Children's Hospital, the University of Melbourne and the Paul Ramsay Foundation, backed by a $30 million investment from the Victorian Government.
