National Children’s Study to Celebrate Kickoff

March 26 Proclaimed Montgomery County Children’s Health Day

The National Children’s Study (NCS), led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, will celebrate its launch and the first annual Montgomery County Children’s Health Day on March 26. The research project, housed at Johns Hopkins University Montgomery County Campus in Rockville, Md., is part of the largest and most detailed study on children’s health and development in the U.S.

The National Children’s Study Kickoff event in Gaithersburg, Md., is open to the community and features family activities to promote infant and child health, overall wellness and health education. In addition to educating the community about the NCS, Montgomery County residents who are pregnant, or hope to become pregnant, may have the opportunity to participate in the study. Montgomery County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett along with other state and county government officials will be on hand to support the study.

The National Children’s Study will examine the effects of the environment and genetics on the growth, development, and health of children across the U.S. The study will follow participants from gestation until 21 years to improve the health and well-being of children and better understand the role various factors have on health and disease. Data from the study will contribute to the research of conditions such as pre-term birth, chronic health conditions such as asthma, obesity, diabetes, as well as other health and behavior outcomes. Researchers believe findings from the study will help provide critical information to assist in the development of prevention strategies, health and safety guidelines and future research. Montgomery County is one of 105 counties across the country that have been selected to participate in this groundbreaking study.

For more information about the National Children’s Study or how to enroll, please visit: maryland.nationalchildrensstudy.gov.