The largest study ever conducted on U.S. children’s health begins enrolling participants this week in parts of New York and North Carolina. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that the long-planned National Children’s Study will begin recruiting volunteers to take part in its comprehensive study of how genes and the environment interact to affect children’s health. The study will track the health and development of more than 100,000 children from before birth until they turn 21.

The ambitious study was originally ordered by Congress in 2000, but budget issues and logistical planning delayed the NIH from beginning the study until now. Researchers want to investigate how environmental factors encountered in early life can “tip the scales” for genetically vulnerable individuals leading to disorders such as autism, asthma, and cerebral palsy, and perhaps even to diseases of adulthood like Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. Because of the large number of individuals enrolled, the study also has the capability to assess uncommon disorders, as well as how exposures to different environmental conditions and genetic factors may interact.

Enrollment in the study begins this week at two very different sites: the urban, industrial New York City borough of Queens, and the sparsely populated, rural area of Duplin County, N.C. In April, scientists will begin recruiting in five more locations in California, Pennsylvania, Utah, South Dakota and Minnesota.

The first locations will serve as pilot sites for the study's initial setup, with nationwide enrollment set for summer 2010. Eventually, the study will expand to include a total of 105 locations throughout the country to ensure that the data collected reflect a scientifically representative sample of the nation's diverse population.

Scientists are seeking women who are trying to get pregnant or who are already in the in the early stages of pregnancy. Study participants will be required to provide a series of samples, both biological – including urine, blood, hair, and genital swabs – and environmental – including samples of dust, water, and air from inside their homes. Pregnant moms will participate in monthly phone calls and be required to keep records of medical events, diet, and activity. After birth, their babies' health will be tracked through periodic exams and checks of their home environment in the first year of life and beyond.

However, if you live in one of the enrollment areas, the NIH urges you NOT to contact them in an attempt to become a study participant. In order to maintain scientific validity, participants must come from within narrowly defined geographic locations. Researchers are calling homes as well as enlisting the help of local prenatal care providers to recruit participants.

A listing of the exact locations of the first seven sites to enroll is available on the National Children’s Study Web site at http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov/about/overview/Pages/Study-Centers-Awarded-12-18-08.pdf.

For more information about health issues for children, join the Healia Health Community for child health. For more information about childhood asthma, check out the Healia Health Guide on Asthma.