Study Locations
Families who participate in the National Children’s Study will come from 105 Study locations (counties or groups of counties) across the United States. All locations were selected using a probability-based sampling method to ensure that children and families across the nation—from diverse ethnic, racial, economic, religious, geographic, and social groups—are represented in the Study. This strategy was selected based on the input from a national panel of experts and reviewed by working groups and the National Children’s Study Federal Advisory Committee.
The Study locations selected include 79 metropolitan areas (urban, suburban, and small cities), as well as 26 rural communities. All Study locations will enroll women who are either pregnant or likely to have a child during the recruitment period. Each Study location will recruit enough women for 250 infant births per year during the four-year enrollment period. For more information on Study participants, see the Participants section.
Study Centers
Study Centers are research teams from nearby universities, hospitals, or other organizations that carry out the research at Study locations. They will work within their designated Study location(s) to recruit participants and collect data.
In September 2007, NICHD awarded 22 new Study Center contracts. These Centers will manage Study operations in 26 of the 105 Study locations and begin preparing for recruitment. This includes activities such as hiring and training staff, determining community needs, and setting up community advisory boards. In September 2008, NICHD awarded 27 new Study Center contracts. These Centers will manage operations in 39 of the 105 Study locations. Pending future funding, the Study will award more Study Centers to manage the remaining Study locations.
Study planners will work to develop a focused plan for recruitment with the Study Centers. The majority of participants will join through door-to-door, census-type screening. Others will join through physicians’ offices, health clinics, and hospitals.
The success of the Study in each location will require the collaboration of researchers, governmental officials, healthcare workers, social service agencies, and community groups, such as schools, churches, local governments, and others. For instance, the Study Centers may establish an advisory board or other means of interacting with community representatives to consider ways to ensure a successful effort tailored to local interests.
Vanguard Centers
The Program Office awarded contracts to the first seven Study Centers in 2005. These initial Study Centers are known as Vanguard Centers. Teams from the Vanguard Centers will be the first to work with their communities to recruit participants, collect and process data, and pilot new research methods for incorporation into the full Study.
For a detailed list of the Study locations and Centers, see: