National Children’s Study Timeline: Into the Pilot Phase (August 2003)

Scheduled Events

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Workshop, September 11-12, 2003, Bethesda, MD, Working Group: Injury

National Children's Study Advisory Committee (NCSAC) Meeting, September 15-16, 2003, Bethesda, MD

Placental Measurements Workshop, November 3-4, 2003, Bethesda, MD, Working Group: Early Origins of Adult Health

Psychosocial Stress and Pregnancy and Infancy Workshop, November 12-13, 2003 Bethesda, MD, Working Group: Pregnancy and the Infant

Physical Activity Workshop, November 2003, Bethesda, MD

Sampling Design Workshop, Date and Location TBD, Special Committee of NCSAC, Interagency Coordination Committee, and Working Group members

NCSAC Meeting, December 15-16, 2003, Atlanta, GA

Media Workshop, Date and Location TBD, Working Group: Social Environment

Use of Herbal Products and Dietary Supplements Workshop, December 2003, Atlanta, GA, Working Group: Medicine and Pharmaceuticals

National Children's Study Assembly Meeting, December 17, 2003, Atlanta, GA

Information for these meetings will be posted on the National Children's Study Web site.

Good To Know

Obesity and Overweight
Obesity is one of the most serious health threats to American children today. According to this year's report from the Forum on Child and Family Statistics, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2003, fifteen percent of American children are overweight and the statistic is growing steadily. Risks to overweight children include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and precursors to diabetes. Many overweight children become overweight adults at risk for heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and certain cancers.

Researchers point out that lack of vigorous physical activity and improper diet are contributing factors to overweight. The National Children's Study will examine how these and other factors in a child's social and physical environment interact and contribute to the development of obesity throughout childhood. Goals include reducing childhood illness associated with overweight and obesity and improving the overall quality of daily life for American children.

Look for the next E-update in November

Feature

National Children's Study Timeline: Into the Pilot Phase
After more than two years of careful planning and research, the National Children's Study has entered Phase II, the pilot phase. Before the Study begins enrolling participants in late 2005, it will focus on key projects such as identifying study sites, developing protocols, and creating a repository for study samples.

During Phase I, National Children's Study planners developed working core hypotheses, built community and political interest, and worked to educate decision-makers and the general public about the Study. During Phase II, the Program Office will continue to guide these efforts, refining the hypotheses, fostering continued community support, and integrating input from partner organizations.

Starting next year, the Program Office will launch a series of projects to set the Study in motion:

Mid 2004: Develop a coordinating capacity for clinical work and data management
Late 2004: Start the review and site selection processes; continue information management planning
Early 2005: Set up vanguard sites
2005: Establish repository for collecting laboratory samples

These activities will position the Study for enrollment to begin in 2005 or 2006. Program staff will fine-tune the protocol, establish remaining sites, and bring in additional participants, with a plan to see results from preliminary data by 2008. In the local sites, research staff training will be ongoing and issues of local interest will be addressed as they arise. The strategy for choosing participants is being further explored via a planned workshop.

Additional efforts include the quest for sustained funding, the development and building of partnerships, and regular communication with partners. The Study will evolve as outcomes from short and long-term pilot studies and as scientific and technological advances are integrated into the Study design and methods.

National Children's Study in the News
The National Children's Study is starting to gain more and more attention from the media. In each E-Update, we will include recent articles or media references about the National Children's Study.

Chicago Tribune ? August 4, 2003
"Disease Study's Focus on Habitat; Goal is to Connect Kids' Environment to Genetic Ailments"

Knight Ridder Newspapers ? July 24, 2003
"National Study to Track Children's Experiences From Womb to Age 21"

The Diane Rehm Show, National Public Radio ? July 15, 2003
"Fetal Origins of Adult Disease"

Science Magazine ? July 11, 2003
"Everything You Wanted to Know About Children, for $2.7 Billion"

The Washington Post ? July 7, 2003
"Theory Says Disease Tendencies Begin in Womb"

Comments or questions? NCS@mail.nih.gov .
Visit our Web site at http://nationalchildrensstudy.gov

The National Children's Study is led by a
consortium of federal agency partners:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

CDC | EPA | HHS | NICHD | NIEHS | NIH | USA.gov

Printed from the National Children's Study Web Site01/13/2009 13:28 PM