National Children's Study

The National Children’s Study (NCS) is the largest long term study of environmental influences on children’s health and development ever to be conducted in the U.S. The results of this study provide researchers, health care providers and public health officials with important new data to improve preventative and therapeutic interventions and ultimately improve the health of children in the generations to come.

The NCS follows about 100,000 children from birth to age 21 in approximately 105 counties across the country. NCS examines how children’s genes and environments interact to affect their health, development, quality of life and their ability to grow into healthy adults. It also focuses on how events and exposures early in life can result in specific outcomes ranging from birth defects, pregnancy-related problems, injuries, asthma, obesity, diabetes and behavioral and mental health disorders.

Ideally the National Children’s Study would like to follow 4,000 children in 56 randomly selected neighborhoods in Los Angeles County.