National Children’s Study Begins Recruitment in San Diego

The National Children’s Study (NCS), the largest long-term examination of children’s health and development ever conducted in the U.S., has begun recruiting women in San Diego.

Run locally by researchers from the 's School of Medicine and San Diego State University, the study is targeting women ages 18 to 49 who are pregnant or may become pregnant in the next few years. Starting before birth, the study will follow children from birth to age 21, hoping to gain new understanding of how environmental factors and other aspects of daily life might impact health and development.

“We want to learn about how a child’s environment affects his or her health, and hope to learn about the factors that contribute to disease and illness as well as healthy, normal development,” said Jennifer Zellner, Ph.D., the study’s coordinator. “We will eventually reach out to 14 neighborhoods in San Diego, and are currently actively recruiting in three neighborhoods: National City, Escondido, and North Park.”

Nationally, the study will follow 100,000 children. So far, the researchers have recruited 12 women. According to researchers, San Diego’s participation will be critical to the national study due to its diverse racial and ethnic heritage, as well as its large military population and proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Researchers will visit the homes of the subjects during the woman’s pregnancy, while in the hospital when she is giving birth, and then periodically throughout the year during the child’s life. Run locally by UC San Diego and San Diego State University, the study is led nationally by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Environmental and Protection Agency.

If you would like more information about the study or want to participate, call 877-706-2773 or email ncssandiego@ucsd.edu.