Every team member is dedicated to the success of the National Children’s Study in Cache County. The Cache County Study location is led by a group of researchers, psychologists, environmental scientists, pediatricians, obstetricians/gynecologists, and many other specialists concerned with children’s health. This Research Team has been brought together to develop the best approach to successfully complete the National Children’s Study.
There are nearly 20,000 households in 33 neighborhoods that may be able to participate in the National Children’s Study in Cache County. Starting in November 2010, information is being sent to these households that will inform them about the Study and invite women to enroll in the Study. The information collected about the family and their environments is vital to the success of the Study’s goal to answer question about childhood diseases.
Women who enroll in the Study beginning in the fall of 2010 will be observed by a local team of researchers. Once a woman enrolls in the Study, her health and environment will be screened by our research team. These observations will continue throughout her pregnancy and after her child is born, until the child is 21 years old. These researchers will monitor the family’s health by using surveys, taking environmental samples in the home, and collecting biologic samples (for example, blood, urine). The information collected will be analyzed to understand what impacts it has on the child’s health.
All of our team members are committed to the security of participants’ private information that we collect. Every employee has been given a background check and drug test, and has been certified on how to ensure the privacy of our Study participants. Our local Study office, on the campus of the Utah State University, has security protections and only certified individuals are allowed into our offices. The data we collect will be identified using a number code. A Study participant’s privacy is very important and we are taking every precaution to protect it.
The most important time to observe a child’s environment and exposures is during pregnancy and the first years of life. The environment (chemical, physical, biological, behavioral, social, and cultural) impacts a child’s health considerably during this age of rapid growth and development. That is why it is so important for our team of interviewers and environmental testers to monitor the environment early in a child’s life. We will be scheduling periodic appointments to collect biologic and environmental samples, as well as complete questionnaires and take health measures of the pregnant women and children who are participating in the Study. The results may answer many questions about children’s health and improve the health for future generations.