Kent County Pilot Study for the National Children’s Study

The National Children’s Study (NCS) is currently being planned by the National Institutes of Health. If funded by Congress, it plans to recruit 100,000 women during pregnancy and follow them and their child for 21 years. The purpose of the study is to look at environmental influence on child health and development, with the environment being broadly defined to encompass dust and allergens, social influences, genetics, and more. For more information about the NCS, please visit: http://www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov/

The Kent County Pilot Study was conducted at prenatal care clinics in the Grand Rapids area to examine the feasibility of different aspects of the NCS. Women coming to their first prenatal care visit completed an interview about their physical activity, how willing they would be to participate in different aspects of the NCS, and how much compensation they would like to receive for different parts of the NCS. Healthcare staff in prenatal care and labor/delivery room settings also completed questionnaires about their willingness to participate in research. The Kent County Pilot Study provided practical pilot data on the ease of recruiting a population-based sample of pregnant women for prenatal care clinics, and on women’s and healthcare worker's attitudes towards the NCS.