Brown University, working with Women and Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, is recruiting pregnant women in Providence County for the local chapter of the National Children's Study. The project aims to follow children from before birth to age 21, making it one of the broadest long-term studies of child development ever conducted in the United States.
What the study will track
According to the study's website, researchers plan to collect data on children's physical environment, family dynamics, neighborhood conditions and genetics. The stated goal is to improve children's health and well-being and to clarify how various factors influence health and disease over time.
Researchers at Brown say the findings will matter locally, but they expect the results to inform child health across the country and possibly beyond. Professor of Community Health Stephen Buka, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Community Health Maureen Phipps, and Associate Professor of Community Health Melissa Clark lead the Brown effort, and other Rhode Island doctors and scientists sit on the Providence chapter's advisory board.
How recruitment is working
Providence County is one of 30 study hubs taking part in the pilot phase. The pilot is designed to test which recruitment methods are feasible before the study expands to 105 locations and about 100,000 women and their children nationwide.
Brown is recruiting through prenatal care providers, obstetricians and gynecologists. Phipps described the response as "extremely positive," and said all prenatal care providers in the county had agreed to work with the team. Recruitment began Nov. 30, and as of March 1 the team had enrolled 35 women, according to that day's Providence Journal. The ultimate local goal is 1,000 participants.
Challenges over a 21-year timeline
Because the study spans two decades, investigators are concerned that families who move or drop out could undermine data collection. Community outreach coordinator Melody Drnach said building programs that local communities want to sustain will be critical, and John Logan, a sociology professor and study investigator, said he hopes families will take pride in contributing.
- Graduate students, rather than undergraduates, will take part because of the training and long-term commitment required.
- Researchers are exploring ways for students to contribute to the project.
- Logan's role is to design a sample of new mothers in Providence County that can reveal how neighborhood conditions affect child development.
Funding and background
Buka and Phipps, the principal investigators, applied in 2007 when the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development requested proposals. That year the partnership received a five-year, $14.1 million contract, and the University pledged an additional $1 million. Women and Infants pledged $500,000, and in October 2008 the institute awarded Brown another $12 million to expand the study.