The National Children’s Study will look at how the environment affects the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the United States. It will study the children from before they are born until they are 21. Study researchers hope to learn how children’s genes and their environments work together to affect children’s health and development.
In the Study, “environment” includes things such as: air, water, and house dust; what children eat; how they are cared for; the safety of their neighborhoods; and how often they see a doctor. By studying children through different parts of their lives, researchers will be better able to understand how these factors affect health and disease.
The National Children’s Study will be one of the richest research efforts geared towards studying children’s health and development. It will form the basis of child health guidance, interventions, and policy for generations to come. Initial results from the first years of the Study are expected in 2011.
For more information about the National Children’s Study, visit the following resources: