Why was Montgomery County selected as a Study location?
How will Montgomery County residents be recruited to participate in the National Children's Study?
How long will the National Children's Study be conducted in Montgomery County?
How do I know if I am eligible to participate in the National Children's Study?
What kind of information will you be collecting from participants in Montgomery County?
Do the hospitals and health care providers in Montgomery County support the National Children’s Study?
Please visit our CHOP Study Center Frequently Asked Questions page for more general questions and answers about the Study.
Why was Montgomery County selected as a Study location?
Families who participate in the National Children's Study will come from 105 national Study locations (counties or groups of counties) across the United States. All locations were selected using a probability-based sampling method to make sure that children and families across the nation—from diverse ethnic, racial, economic, religious, geographic, and social groups—are represented in the Study. This strategy was chosen based on the input from a national panel of experts and reviewed by working groups and the National Children's Study Federal Advisory Committee. The Study locations selected include 79 metropolitan areas (urban, suburban, and small cities), as well as 26 rural communities.
How will Montgomery County residents be recruited to participate in the National Children's Study?
In Montgomery County, Study teams will work with health care professionals and community leaders to let people know about the research. Study staff will visit homes in selected communities to invite eligible women and their families to take part in the Study. Other women will join through their local physicians’ offices, health clinics, and hospitals.
You may also contact us at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Study Center if you live in Montgomery County to see if you are eligible to join the Study.
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How long will the National Children’s Study be conducted in Montgomery County?
Montgomery County has an enrollment period of 5 years, beginning in April 2009. We expect to enroll enough women for 250 births per year for a total of 1,250 births over the 5-year enrollment period.
After a woman is enrolled and gives birth, her child will be followed until he or she is 21 years old. By following children from before birth to age 21, Study researchers hope to better understand how children’s genes and their environments interact to affect their health and development.
How do I know if I am eligible to participate in the National Children's Study?
Only women and families who live within the preselected Study areas will be eligible to take part. Women living in these areas who are pregnant or likely to become pregnant may be eligible.
You may also contact us at the CHOP Study Center if you think you may be eligible or if you want to find out if you are eligible.
What kind of information will you be collecting from participants in Montgomery County?
Initially, researchers will collect information on women’s pregnancies, including their diets, environments, chemical exposures, and emotional stress. When their children are born, and at certain times after that, researchers will collect biologic samples and environmental samples like air, water, and dust from their environments. Researchers will meet with families in both their homes and in clinical settings, and data also will be collected using telephones, computers, or mail-in questionnaires.
Do the hospitals and health care providers in Montgomery County support the National Children's Study?
We have talked to most of the hospitals and health care providers in Montgomery County about the National Children’s Study. In addition, we have established a Study office in five hospitals throughout the county, including Abington Memorial Hospital, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Grand View Hospital, Montgomery Hospital Medical Center, and Pottstown Memorial Medical Center. We encourage you to talk to your health care providers about the Study.
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