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National Children's Study Planning Under Way
The National Children's Study, a large long-term study of environmental influences on children's health and development, is now in the third year of its five-year planning cycle. And now may be the best possible time for HABIT readers to help shape the final form and direction of this important initiative.
The NCS was authorized by the Children's Health Act of 2000. This act directed the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to conduct the study along with a consortium of federal agencies, including EPA, CDC and NIEHS.
The goal of the study, explains Christine Bachrach, Ph.D., chief of the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch at NICHD, is to study the impact of "the environment writ large" on 100,000 children across the United States. The study designers hope to follow each child from prenatal development until age 21.
Two types of working groups are shaping the final form and direction of the study. Integrative groups are tackling such issues as ethics, recruitment/retention, and community outreach and communication. Hypothesis-driven groups are studying potential hypotheses, measurement and study design features in areas; many of these areas, such as development and behavior, social environment, and disparities and environmental justice, are of particular interest to the biobehavioral community.
"There is a real opportunity here for behavioral and social scientists, a real spirit of bridging across the sciences," Bachrach notes.
Speaking as co-chair of the Social Environment working group, whose task is to examine the association between the social and contextual factors of children's environment with their health and development, Bachrach says that her group is eager to receive input from HABIT readers. "We want your ideas," she says. "In fact, it would be healthy to be inundated with your solid suggestions and resources."
Toward that end, Bachrach encourages HABIT readers to get an overview of NCS at www.nichd.nih.gov. You can find a list of the working groups, and links to their rosters, at www.nichd.nih.gov.
Ideas for Bachrach's group, along with review articles and other supporting literature, should be sent directly to her at cbachrach@nih.gov.
If you have an idea that relates to other working groups or cuts across working groups, or simply want more information about NCS, e-mail ncs@mail.nih.gov. You will be added to a Listserv for news and information.
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