U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

National Institutes of Health 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

Health

Growth

Environment

THE NATIONAL CHILDREN’S STUDY: 

AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE 
What is the National Children’s Study? 

The National Children’s Study will examine the effects of 

environmental influences on the health and development of 

more than 100,000 children across the United States, following 

them from before birth until age 21. The goal of the Study is 

to improve the health and well being of America’s children. 

The Study will take a number of health factors into account, including: 

■ Natural and man-made environmental factors 

■ Biological and chemical factors 

■ Physical factors 

■ Social factors 

■ Behavioral influences 

■ Genetics 

■ Cultural and family influences 

■ 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 

and development. By studying children through their different phases of 

growth and development, researchers will be better able to understand the 

role of these factors on health and disease. Findings from the Study will 

be made available continuously as the Study progresses. 
The Study will 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 Study will facilitate multi-nation research collaborations and enable 

comparisons of different national experiences. 

The National Children’s Study will be one of the richest information 

resources available for answering questions related to children’s health and 

development and will form the basis of child health guidance, interventions, 

and policy in the United States for generations to come. It is anticipated 

that the preliminary results from the first years of the Study will be available 

in 2009-2010. 

The National Children’s 

Study will form the basis 

of child health guidance, 

interventions, and policy 

in the united states for 

generations to come. 
What makes this study different from other 

United States health studies? 

The National Children’s Study has a number of features that make it unique: 

■ The Study is national in scope—Unlike other health studies, the National 

Children’s Study includes children and families from different areas of the 

country, from varied backgrounds, and of different family structures to allow 

investigation of issues important to the diverse United States population. 

■ The Study takes a broad approach to “environment”—This study 

includes the wide range of biological, physical, social, cultural, and other factors 

comprising a child’s environment that can interact with genes and affect health 

and development. 

■	 The Study is long-term in design—This study will collect information on 

the same people from before birth into adulthood. By following children and 

families for 21 years or more, the Study will collect information about health 

at different ages or stages of growth and in various situations, and will shed 

light on the factors that influence health and development as people grow. 

■ Results will become available as the Study progresses—Even though 

the Study will continue for more than 20 years, information will be available 

continuously as developmental stages are attained and as results are analyzed 

throughout the Study. These results may lead to opportunities for researchers 

to pose new questions about the interactions of children’s well being and their 

environments. 
 

 

■ The Study has broad input from multiple United States government 

agencies, as well as from public organizations and the private 

sector—The National Children’s Study relies on unique, overarching 

partnerships with many components for advice and input about the design 

and conduct of the Study. Representatives of United States federal, state, 

and local agencies as well as national and international universities, 

academic and professional societies, communities, advocacy organizations, 

and the private sector all play vital roles in these partnerships. The partners 

are involved in advising on various phases of the Study, from its design, to 

its conclusion, to ensure that the results are accurate, unbiased, and reliable. 

■ The Study uses state-of-the-art technology—By using the most up-todate data collection and communications methods available, the Study will 

provide the most accurate and reliable results possible. These technologies 

will help to track the progress of children and families, ensure that 

measurements are taken accurately, manage information collected in the 

Study, and maintain communication between all those involved in the Study 

for 21 years or more. 

■ The Study examines many questions—Unlike other studies that are 

trying to answer a single question related to children’s health, the National 

Children’s Study addresses multiple questions on multiple issues, to provide as 

much information as possible on health and development. Some example 

questions are: 

— How do sociocultural factors contribute to the risk of injury? 

— Do household pesticides have adverse effects on neurodevelopment? 

— How does one’s genetic makeup affect asthma severity? 
What is the progress of the National 

Children’s Study? 

The first phase of the National Children’s Study was devoted to planning. 

Many questions were assessed and answered, such as: What aspects of 

health and life will be measured? How will the information be collected? 

What are the special population groups that need to be involved? How will 

the participants’ safety and privacy be protected? These questions have 

been defined in the Study protocol. The implementation phase of the 

Study began when Vanguard Centers and the Coordinating Center were 

established in 2005, and will continue with recruitment of Study 

participants and the addition of more Study Centers. 

What is the value of an international dimension 

to the National Children’s Study? 

The opportunity to coordinate the Study with other new and ongoing 

longitudinal cohort studies in other countries will provide an added value 

to all longitudinal cohort studies by enabling investigators and their 

countries to exchange information regarding the health and development of 

children. Structuring studies in different countries in a manner that will 

enable cross-cultural and cross-country comparisons will build on the 

wealth of results. 
What are the opportunities for international 

parties, agencies, and investigators to interact 

with the National Children’s Study? 

The Study’s International Interest Group is comprised of investigators who 

are currently working on or are interested in establishing longitudinal cohort 

studies on children’s environmental health, as well as other interested parties 

worldwide. The group’s goal is to facilitate communication and sharing of 

ideas in order to encourage a wider exchange of information on study design 

and on research results. 

Additionally, the Study has spearheaded an International Childhood Cancer 

Cohort Consortium, an international alliance of child longitudinal studies 

focused on the role of various environmental exposures in childhood cancer. 

The Consortium members include investigators who are currently working 

on or are interested in establishing longitudinal cohort studies on children’s 

environmental health, as well as childhood cancer researchers. The goal is to 

establish a combined effort and database large enough for prospective studies 

of childhood cancer and other infrequent diseases. 

How can I get more information about the Study? 

To learn more about the National Children’s Study, contact: 

The National Children’s Study 

E-mail: NCS@mail.nih.gov 

Internet: www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov 

Mail: 6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 5C01, Rockville, MD, 20892-7510, U.S.A. 

Phone: 011-301-594-9147 Fax: 011-301-480-1222 
 

 

 

 

Study Sponsors 

The U.S. Children’s Health Act of 2000 authorized the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and a 

consortium of U.S. federal agencies to conduct the National Children’s Study.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 

and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) join the NICHD in planning and conducting this study.The NICHD is part of the 

National Institutes of Health (NIH), the biomedical research arm of the U.S. federal government. Both the CDC and the NIH fall under 

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the principal federal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing 

essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.The EPA is the arm of the U.S. federal government 

that protects human health and safeguards the natural environment — air, water, and land — upon which life depends.These agencies are 

dedicated to working together to improve the health of all children through the successful completion of the National Children’s Study. 

For Administrative Use Only
 

NCS International Brochure 1l