SEATTLE More than 150 Grant County parents have said “yes to the vest” and joined the pilot phase of the National Children’s Study (NCS), the largest long-term study of children’s health conducted in the United States.
Grant County was chosen as one of 30 sites across the nation to participate in the pilot phase. Beginning this month, active recruitment will end and information from the pilot phase will be examined to help develop recruitment strategies for the main study.
The NCS field office in Grant County has been recruiting eligible women ages 18-49 since December 2010. Since parent enrollment, approximately 50 babies have been born and are being tracked.
The office developed a recruitment campaign, asking county households to “say yes to the vest” when office staff wearing red vests came knocking on doors.
Family participation continues, welcome
The goal of the pilot phase was to evaluate various recruitment strategies for the main NCS that eventually will follow more than 100,000 families nationwide. In Grant County, the goal was to enroll 150-200 families by going door-to-door. Other sites used different approaches, such as contacting women through their health providers.
Though active recruitment is completed, families enrolled in the pilot phase of the study will continue to be followed for 21 years.
While NCS staff won’t be knocking on doors any longer, families who are interested in participating are still encouraged to contact the Grant County Field Office by calling 1.855.733.8378.
Understanding childhood conditions
“I am extremely thankful to the Grant County families that have enrolled in the study,” said Patricia Butterfield, lead investigator and dean of the Washington State University College of Nursing at WSU Spokane. “Because of their involvement, scientists will gain a greater understanding of childhood conditions such as asthma, diabetes and autism.
“We were successful in Grant County because of the hard work and dedication of our field office staff, as well as the commitment of the community,” she said.
“Recruitment for this study started in December 2010, one of the more challenging months to undertake a household-based campaign in Grant County,” said Elaine Faustman, principal investigator for the Pacific Northwest Center for the National Children’s Study (PNWNCS) based at the University of Washington. “The Grant County field office staff received special recruitment training and their input and hard work made the pilot phase successful.”
How environment, history affect children
The research is an observational study, meaning researchers will watch and learn how children’s health and development are affected by family health history and by where children live, learn and play. Air, water, diet, noise, family dynamics, community and cultural influences will be tracked.
Health care professionals, doctors and researchers across the nation will use findings to understand how the environment affects children’s growth and development.
“We are so proud of our Grant County women and families who have stepped up and agreed to participate,” said Jennifer Lane, study manager. “Parents here are committed to keeping their kids and future generations healthy. It is part of who we are as a region.”
The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health and is coordinated by the PNWNCS. The PNWNCS partners with WSU, the Grant County Health District, the Moses Lake and Quincy community health centers and communities in Grant County.
About the WSU College of Nursing and UW School of Public Health
WSU and UW bring the highest caliber research and healthcare credentials to the NCS in Grant County: the WSU College of Nursing is the largest in the Pacific Northwest; the UW School of Public Health is a national leader in child health research.
Media contacts:
Clare Hagerty, University of Washington, 206-685-1323, clareh@uw.edu
Clare Hagerty, University of Washington, 206-685-1323, clareh@uw.edu
Allison Benjamin, Washington State University, 509-324-7340, alli.benajmin@wsu.edu