|  | | | May 2008 | | | The Feinberg School of Medicine has received a seven-year, $32 million contract from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to serve as the Greater Chicago Study Center for the National Children’s Study. This study, the largest study of child and human health ever conducted in the United States, will examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the Untied States, following them from before birth until age 21. Two thousand families from Cook County will be enrolled. | | The principal investigator for the Feinberg School study is Jane Holl, MD, MPH, associate professor of pediatrics and preventive medicine, Institute for Healthcare Studies, Feinberg School of Medicine. She is also the medical director for patient safety and an attending physician at Children’s Memorial Hospital. | | The National Children’s Study will assess the effects of environmental and genetic factors on pregnant women and their children. The study defines “environment” broadly to include natural and man-made factors, biological and chemical factors, physical surroundings, social and behavioral factors, genetics, cultural and family factors, and geographic location. | By analyzing the interactions of these factors and their effects on children’s health, researchers hope to gain understanding of the roles of such factors on some of the nation’s most serious health problems including autism, birth defects, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. “Many diseases that occur in adulthood have their antecedents in childhood,” says Dr. Holl. “This study offers us a unique opportunity to explore the role of these factors on adult health and should provide us with new ways to prevent or decrease these diseases by intervening much earlier. In addition, by better understanding the health of children in our community, we can better understand how to improve their health and provide for their needs.” |  |
| | A wide range of data will be collected through in-person visits, telephone, computer, or mail-in questionnaires. The environmental component will include obtaining samples such as air, water and soil during pre-conception, pregnancy and throughout the child's life, as well as from multiple settings of exposure (e.g., home, daycare, school). Community-level environmental exposures for these children will also be obtained. A wide array of biological samples and studies will be collected from the child and each parent. For example, during pregnancy, the mother will receive an ultrasound during each trimester and numerous biomarkers will be obtained during pregnancy and then, after birth. | | Data from the study should prove useful for answering many complex and long-standing questions. For example: “Can early exposure to some allergens reduce asthma prevalence?” “How do genes and the environment interact to promote or prevent behavior problems in teenagers? “What is the impact of media exposure on child health?” It is expected that many important research questions have not yet been identified or articulated and the development of adjunct studies to answer such questions is highly encouraged. |  | Jane Holl, MD, MPH, principal investigator for the FSM study site |
| Dr. Holl says the Feinberg School was selected as the Greater Chicago Study Center because of Northwestern’s strong research reputation, well-established clinical research center’s ability to coordinate the collection of data for such a large study, strong obstetrical clinical service and potential for recruiting eligible pregnant women, and innovative community outreach initiatives. Although the study will span 20 years, results will be shared with the public as it progresses for continued insights that may be applied to better the health of children in the greater Chicago area and of all American children. Beginning with birth outcomes, findings will become available within two to three years after the Study is launched. Dr. Holl expects to begin recruiting families in Cook County in January 2010. | The study will be based at the Institute for Healthcare Studies at the Feinberg School of Medicine, with key partners at the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago- School of Public Health, and the National Opinion Research Center (NORC). NORC will be conducting a large part of the field work, such as the community-based screening, recruitment and enrollment of study subjects. |
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