RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM NIH/NICHD



Posted: 28 April 2004


28 April 2004

Dr. Martini:

Thank you so much for taking the time to send your e-mail below. Your input, as well as the input from other concerned individuals, is vital to the study design and conduct of the National Children's Study (NCS). Although the final details of the Study are still in development, important information/ideas/theories passed along by the general public, doctors and specialists will help with the development process of this study. We will pass on your inquiry to the Study organizers, but please note that because of the broad range of possible Study questions, we cannot guarantee that your topic will be included in the final Study design.

The National Children's Study (NCS) will follow about 100,000 children, from before birth to age 21. Investigators will focus on five general topics: obesity, overweight, and diabetes; injuries/violence; asthma; pregnancy-related child outcomes; and child development and mental health. Within each of these topics, the Study will address more specific research questions on issues such as autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), vaccines, pesticides, and cancer, just to make a few. While the Study is designed to last for more than two decades, researchers will release findings as they become available, likely starting in 2008/2009, rather than waiting to report out at the completion of the Study.

If you haven't already done so, we invite you to view the National Children's Study website, http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov, to explore the social, scientific, behavioral, etc. areas the Study will focus on over the next twenty plus years. If you are interested in receiving quarterly updates regarding the progress/design of the Study, meeting/workshop announcements, etc., you can join our Study Assembly listserv at our website. Simply click on the Contact Us section of the website and complete the Study Assembly Subscription Form.

You may want to visit the NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) website, at http://www.nichd.nih.gov. The NICHD conducts and supports basic and clinical research in biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences relating to child health, maternal health, men's health, and medical rehabilitation. The site offers a wide variety of research-based information about general health, as well as childhood diseases and disorders; many of these items are available for free. The NICHD Information Resource Center staffs information specialists who can answer general questions about subjects related to the NICHD mission, and may be able to refer you to organizations that can provide more information. You can contact the NICHD Information Resource Center at 1-800-370-2943, or at NICHDInformationResourceCenter@mail.nih.gov.

Thanks again for your e-mail and for your concern for the health of America's children.

Sincerely,

Beth Davis

Elizabeth A. Davis
Program Assistant
The National Children's Study
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institutes of Health, DHHS
6100 Executive Blvd., Room 5C01
Bethesda, MD 20892-7510
phone: 301-451-6421
fax: 301-480-1222
e-mail: davise@mail.nih.gov