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UF to Lead Local Efforts in National Children's StudyTuesday, December 09, 2008 University of Florida physicians will lead local efforts in the nation's largest health study involving children. The National Children's Study will follow 100,000 children for more than 20 years to identify genetic and environmental factors that contribute to health disorders. It's the largest study ever on environmental and genetic factors affecting the health of children. The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine will serve as the study center in Florida. Approximately 3,600 children from across the state will be tracked from the time they are conceived to age 21. Mark Hudak, MD, a professor of pediatrics and cheif of neonatology with the UF College of Medicine-Jacksonville, will lead the effort in northeast Florida. Baker County will serve as the focus of the study in our region and study volunteers will be recruited from all income and educational levels as well as racial groups.
The UF-led team will collect genetic, biological and environmental samples, and compile statistical information for study analyses by investigating how genetic and environmental factors influence health and disease. The hope is that the information gathered will lead to the prevention and treatment of some of the most pressing health problems like diabetes, autism and birth defects. Authorized by Congress in the Children's Health Act of 2000, the National Children's Study is being conducted by a consortium of federal agencies that include the US Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. NIH officials stated that the study would yield health information throughout its 25-year span. Within just a few years, the study would provide information on disorders of pregnancy and birth. Since women would be recruited before they give birth, and in some instances even before they become pregnant, the study would provide insight into the causes and contributors of preterm birth. More than 500,000 premature infants are born each year in the United States. Infants born prematurely are at risk for early death and a variety of health problems, such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and learning disabilities. Health care costs for preterm infants total $26 billion per year. Additional information about the National Children's Study is available at http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov. For more information, please contact: |
