Study Overview
The National Children’s Study is the largest long-term study of environmental and genetic influences on children’s health ever conducted in the United States.
The Study will include 100,000 children from across the county and will collect information about their health and where they live, learn and play, from before birth to age 21. It will examine neighborhoods and schools, chemical exposures, food and water, cultural differences, geographic locations, behavior, and other factors that contribute to health.
The goal is to improve the health and well-being of all children for generations to come.
The Colorado Study Center is operated by the Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Battelle Memorial Institute.
This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN275200800018C.
Purpose
Even though most children grow up healthy, the rates of asthma, diabetes, obesity, and other health problems in children continue to rise.
Researchers, health care providers, and leaders in our community have joined the National Children’s Study to learn more about how things in the environment of our homes and communities may affect children’s health. Douglas County is one of 105 counties selected to be a part of this historic national effort because of its unique characteristics. These include a mixture of rural and suburban environments, excellent schools and a fast-growing population. Families from Douglas County will be enrolled so that the group of all Study participants across the country reflects the diversity of mothers and children in the United States. You could be an invaluable part of this effort, and right now we are looking for participants from Douglas County.
With your help and the help of people like you from across the country, we hope to answer questions such as these:
- How does pollution affect our children’s health?
- Can asthma in children be prevented?
- How do video games affect a child’s development?