A Blackburn school is the first in the East Lancashire area to be involved in an innovative research study to identify children at risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
Lammack Primary School welcomed researchers from the ELSA study on 10 and 11 December 2024.
Pupils whose parents and guardians have agreed to the study had a simple finger stick blood test. Tests on the blood will then show if the children have any of four antibodies, which are markers found in the blood, for type 1 diabetes.
Identifying children at risk of developing the condition before they become unwell is important because it means treatment can be started sooner. It also means children can have more frequent check-ups and they may be able to access promising new treatments.
The ELSA study is open to families across the UK for children aged three to 13. It is being supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
In East Lancashire, ELSA is being conducted by the research and development team from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.
At Lammack Primary School, pupils across all year groups were offered the opportunity and 28 children consented to take part. Ahead of the clinics, the research team spoke about the study at parents’ evening and delivered an assembly to pupils on the importance of health and care research.
Farzana Masters, Clinical Research Nurse Manager at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We were keen to maximise participation in this study by collaborating with schools in our region so that parents can consent for their child(ren) to participate without the need for taking them out of school for appointments at the hospital.
“The aim was to offer this really important study to as many children as possible but also to make research more accessible within our community and the ELSA study provided the perfect platform for us to build a great working relationship with local schools and Blackburn With Darwen Borough Council for future research projects. We are extremely grateful to all families who choose to be part of this important research which helps families find out if their child is at risk of developing type 1 diabetes.”
Paula Duckworth, Lammack Primary School Headteacher, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust on this project and to be able to offer our pupils the opportunity to be part of this research. Early diagnosis can make such a difference to health outcomes and, as a school, we are proud to be contributing to this study which has the potential to help children and families across the whole UK.”
Parent Hafsana Kadu consented to her son Musa, 11, and daughter Maryam, eight, taking part in the study at Lammack Primary School. She said: “I agreed for my children to take part in this study because my job as a parent is to protect my children. Both my parents have got diabetes and to have the opportunity to have my children screened for this and make alternative lifestyle choices was an absolute no-brainer for me. For the school to participate in this study is hassle-free for me as a parent and demonstrates a great ethos from the school in trying to support healthy children.”
Professor Abdul Razaq, Director of Public Health at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said: “The health and wellbeing of children and young people is a priority for the council and its partners. It is important to work with parents, carers, children and young people to ensure that we continually improve the quality of care and experiences and minimise any complications from type 1 diabetes. This research will help us to screen at an earlier stage and children found to be at high risk could also have the opportunity to enter further research trials, testing new treatments which aim to delay or prevent the start of type 1 diabetes.”
The ELSA study is being led by the University of Birmingham and funded by Diabetes UK and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Statistically, around one-in-100 tests conducted will return positive, and these children will have a further blood test at hospital. If that confirms there is a risk of developing type 1 diabetes, then families will be supported and invited to an education session to help them understand what that will mean for their child.
Other schools in the East Lancashire area that are interested in getting involved in the study are encouraged to contact the research team by emailing research@elht.nhs.uk