One of the most ambitious research projects involving kids is the National Childrenʼs Study, which aims to follow 100,000 children from birth to age 21. The idea is that by following these kids over time, researchers can study the effect of genes and the environment on all manner of diseases that manifest in childhood ― including autism, learning disabilities, asthma, and diabetes.
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One of the most ambitious research projects involving kids is the National Childrenʼs Study, which aims to follow 100,000 children from birth to age 21. The idea is that by following these kids over time, researchers can study the effect of genes and the environment on all manner of diseases that manifest in childhood ― including autism, learning disabilities, asthma, and diabetes.
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To study the effects of genetics and environment on early development, the researchers plan to collect genetic, biological, environmental information from pregnant women and, in some cases, women who are not yet pregnant, and the children they go on to have.
This week the project, which was launched in 2004, added 27 new centers that, beginning in 2010, will recruit children for the study. Eventually, the study aims to have 40 centers, recruiting volunteers from 105 locations throughout the U.S.
Because the numbers are so huge, the study is a terrific example of collaboration, bringing together federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency, universities, hospitals and private companies.
The children themselves will be a truly representative sample for the country, with recruits from “rural, urban, and suburban areas, from all income and educational levels, and from all racial groups,” says Duane Alexander, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Development, one of the participating institutes.
