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Local moms-to-be wanted for national study Largest child development study taps O.C. moms  Published: April, 2009

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The National Children's Study will begin recruiting future Orange County mothers to take part in the largest and most comprehensive long-term study ever conducted in the United States on child development and health.   This recruitment marks the next phase of the ambitious National Children's Study, authorized by Congress in the Children's Health Act of 2000. In 2005, the Orange County Vanguard Center, was established by UC Irvine, Children's Hospital of Orange County, the Children & Families Commission of Orange County, and the Orange County Health Care Agency. The Orange County Vanguard Center is one of seven initial study locations that will serve as pilot sites for the full study. Over the next several years, the study plans to enroll as many as 100,000 children at 105 locations across the nation.   Starting April 25 and continuing for six months, interview teams will canvass scientifically selected Orange County neighborhoods for women 18 to 44 who plan to bear children within five years. By tracking their children's development from pregnancy to age 21, researchers hope to determine the root causes of many childhood and adult ailments, potentially leading to new preventions and treatments for birth defects and pregnancy-related problems; injuries; asthma; obesity; diabetes; and behavior, learning and mental health disorders. "Orange County families have an unprecedented opportunity to help improve the health of America's children," said Dr. Dean Baker, UCI medicine professor and Orange County study director. "If a study worker comes to your door, we hope you will give him or her a few minutes of your time to determine if you're eligible." Enrolled women will become active participants upon getting pregnant. Researchers will analyze home water, air, dust and soil samples. Prenatal care will be evaluated, and the mothers-to-be will undergo periodic blood and ultrasound tests. When the babies are born, researchers will collect cord blood, placenta and breast milk samples and conduct neurological assessments at the hospital. And that's just the beginning. The study -- which will review a wide range of biological, physical, genetic, social, cultural and other factors -- will follow the children until they're 21, building a library of data that will guide pediatric and adolescent care for decades. "The information gained from the National Children's Study has the potential to improve the overall health of our families, the Orange County community, and ultimately all Americans," said Michael Ruane, executive director of the Children and Families Commission of Orange County. "Researchers, doctors, and public health officials will know more about how to prevent, treat and even cure childhood diseases and conditions that are becoming more common." The National Children's Study couldn't come at a more important time, added Virginia Allhusen, a UCI child development specialist and study coordinator, as childhood diseases and disorders are becoming more prevalent and long-lasting. Asthma, diabetes, autism and childhood obesity are major concerns for parents around the country, and Orange County is no different: Fully a third of children here are overweight or at risk of becoming so, one in four struggles with asthma, and the number diagnosed with developmental disabilities has been climbing steadily. Over the next five years, Orange County organizers plan to enroll 1,250 women from 13 cities selected to ensure that diverse ethnic, racial, economic, religious, geographic and social groups are fairly represented. The first phase of recruitment for Orange County volunteers will begin April 25 in Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Irvine and Santa Ana.  Recruiting will get underway over the following three months in Aliso Viejo, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Laguna Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita, Tustin, Westminster and Yorba Linda.   About the National Children's Study The National Children's Study was authorized by Congress in the Children's Health Act of 2000. Members of the federal consortium carrying out the study are the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2006 and 2007, San Diego, San Bernardino and Kern counties joinedOrange County to form the Southern and Central California Study Center, along with UC San Diego and UC Berkeley; California State University campuses in San Diego, San Bernardino and Bakersfield; and Loma Linda University. San Diego County will begin neighborhood recruiting in 2011 and San Bernardino and Kern counties in 2012. UCI pediatrics professor Dr. James Swanson is director of the Southern and Central California Study Center.     For more information about the National Children's Study in Orange County, call 949.824.4121, or visit the Web site.

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