National Children’s Study Expanded by US Government
In an exciting and promising turn of events, there will be 22 new study centers for the National Children’s Study program. This study is focused around discovering the causes of many endemic diseases that plague American health. This will bring the total amount of children study centers up to 29 around the country. This study will cost approximately $3 billion over the next 25 years.
The study holds promise because it has long been believed that certain environmental exposures and/or habits can lead towards the development of serious medical conditions later in life. This study will separate the genetic and the environmental causes and allow for 21 years of data to be collected on each test subject. The comprehensive nature of this study could lead to many medical breakthroughs in preventative medicine as well as symptomatic medicine.
According to Terry Leet, the lead investigator of the study sites in St. Louis and rural Macoupin County and chairman of the department of community health at Saint Louis University School of Public Health; “Examining the kinds of questions that influence the health and well-being of children is critically important to the entire community, whether you are a parent, grandparent or researcher.” He went on to say that “What we find could be a potential gold mine of data for scientists who are studying what causes diseases in children.”
For more info, check out the website for the The National Children’s Study [www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov].
