Oral

The National Children’s Study, managed by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, examines the effects of the environment, as broadly defined to include factors such as air, water, diet, sound, family dynamics, community and cultural influences, health care access, and genetics on the growth and development of children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21 years. The goal of the National Children’s Study is to improve the health and well-being of children and contribute to understanding the role various factors have on health and disease. The National Children’s Study is data-driven, evidence-based, and community and participant informed. Formative research projects play an important role in the evaluation of the feasibility, acceptability and cost of study visit measures to be considered for the Main Study. This session will feature formative research projects in genomics, environmental exposures, and stress and describe how they are designed to meet this need. The scope and objective of these projects will be presented with summary results to illustrate how these projects provide information to inform study visit measures for the Main Study and to further the development of the NCS as a high quality platform for investigation of children’s health in many areas.

Session Objectives: 1. Explain the use of hair cortisol as a biomarker that may provide an alternative relatively non-invasive and more cumulative biomarker of maternal stress for use in the National Children’s Study. 2. Explain the application of buccal cells in non-invasive genomic research to inform the National Children’s Study, and explain efforts underway to build genomic capacity for the National Children’s Study. 3. Describe the utility of house dust samples for the analysis of environmental contaminants in the home environment to assess children’s environmental health and exposure.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)