Methods for a National Birth Cohort Study

Abstract

This paper is part of the National Academy of Medicine Perspectives series, Lifelong Impact: Why the United States Needs a National Birth Cohort Study. To download both papers in the series, visit www.nam.edu/lifelonghealth. Background: With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held two expert meetings to identify the reason why the US needs a longitudinal birth cohort study and the methods that can be used to make its implementation successful. The meetings drew on the National Research Council/Institute of Medicine report The National Children's Study 2014: An Assessment. In addition to engaging a diverse array of stakeholders from academia, philanthropy, local communities, industry, and government, the meetings included discussions about how to design a national longitudinal cohort study that is multidisciplinary, focuses on the main drivers of health, engages communities, employs a diverse set of data sources, and includes innovative techniques in data analysis. Discussions included how to use the findings from such a study to improve and direct resources toward improvements in the drivers of health. The final product of this effort is Lifelong Impact: Why the United States Needs a National Birth Cohort Study, a two-paper NAM Perspectives series. The goal of the series is to provide input into and catalyze action toward improvements in the design of future longitudinal birth cohort studies. About NAM Perspectives: NAM Perspectives are expert commentaries and discussion papers by leading voices in health and health care. They are not reports of the National Academy of Medicine or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and therefore are not subject to their review processes. Learn more at www.nam.edu/perspectives.

Developing the Regulatory Utility of the Exposome: Mapping Exposures for Risk Assessment through Lifestage Exposome Snapshots (LEnS)

“…Implementation of the LEnS framework can be accelerated by taking advantage of existing population-based studies. Children’s cohorts with closely linked exposure measurements covering critical windows are ideal for these efforts ( Duncan et al 2016 ). Cross-sectional studies would also be appropriate.…”

Comparison of Recruitment Strategy Outcomes in the National Children’s Study

“…Restricting sampling and enrollment of women to the first prenatal visit has demonstrated that early pregnancy exposure profiling is possible. The PBS strategy offers the promise of meeting major goals of a longterm birth cohort study in the most efficient manner as is recommended in a recent discussion article by Duncan et al 32 After halting NCS, NIH launched the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program. 33 Because ECHO was designed to capitalize on existing cohorts with a plan to extend data collection through follow-up visits and/or expand participant populations by recruiting new participants, many of the lessons learned from NCS on sampling strategies will not apply.…”

Discovery of common chemical exposures across three continents using silicone wristbands

“…Silicone wristbands are a novel application of passive sampling that O'Connell et al first described in 2014 [18]. Wristbands have been identified as an 'unprecedented measurement platform' that provides individualized chemical exposure data [19], which can be applied to many different types of environmental epidemiological studies [20].…”