The Seychelles Child Development Study: two decades of collaboration

Abstract

The Seychelles Child Development Study represents two decades of collaboration between the Ministry of Health of Seychelles, a small island nation in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and the University of Rochester, a renowned academic and research institution in North America. The study has established itself as a model of strong longitudinal epidemiological studies and collaborative research between institutions in developed and developing countries. It has produced significant scientific findings and a large number of publications on the issue of methyl mercury from fish in the maternal diet and child development. This paper provides a background to the study and describes the key strengths of the collaboration. A brief summary of all the publications is also provided.

Keywords: Seychelles; child development; fish consumption; methyl mercury; neurodevelopment; postnatal exposure; prenatal exposure; research collaboration.