National Children's Study
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, following them from before birth until age 21. The goal of the Study is to improve the health and well-being of children.
The Study defines “environment
Environment
In general, environment refers to the surroundings of an object, or the Natural environment, all living and non-living things that occur naturally on EarthEnvironment may refer to:...
” broadly and will take a number of issues into account, including:
- natural and man-made environmental factors
- biological and chemical factors
- physical surroundings
- social factors
- behavioral influences and outcomes
- geneticsGeneticsGenetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
- cultural and family influences and differences
- geographic locations
Researchers will analyze how these elements interact with each other and what helpful and/or harmful effects they might have on children’s health.
By studying children through their different phases of growth and development, researchers will be better able to understand the role of these environmental factor
Environmental factor
Environmental factor or ecological factor or ecofactor is any factor, abiotic or biotic, that influences living organisms.- Environmental factors inducing diseases :...
s on health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
. The Study will also allow scientists to find the differences that exist between groups of people, in terms of their health, health care access, disease occurrence, and other issues, so that these differences or disparities can be addressed.
The National Children’s Study will be one of the richest research efforts geared towards studying children’s health and development
Child development
Child development stages describe theoretical milestones of child development. Many stage models of development have been proposed, used as working concepts and in some cases asserted as nativist theories....
and will form the basis of child health guidance, interventions, and policy for generations to come. Findings from the Study will be made available as the research progresses, making potential benefits known to the public as soon as possible.
The National Children’s Study is led by a consortium of federal partners: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (including the Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, DSG a member of the Kennedy family, sister to President John F. Kennedy and Senators Robert F. Kennedy and Edward Kennedy, was the founder in 1962 of Camp Shriver, and in 1968, the Special Olympics...
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , created by Congress in 1962, supports and conducts research on topics related to the health of children, adults, families, and populations...
) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is a part of the National Institutes of Health , which is in turn a part of the Department of Health and Human Services ....
of the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Acting Director of the study is Steven Hirschfeld, MD, PhD.