Dr. Nancy Green, Medical Director of the March of Dimes, spoke at a news conference where the names and locations were announced of the vanguard study sites that will conduct the National Children's Study. The following statement contains excerpts from her presentation:
Throughout the National Children's Study there will be groundbreaking research that will greatly increase our knowledge of the roles family genetics and the environment play in childhood development. This is an incredibly important scientific undertaking and merits the strongest possible support from the administration and Members of Congress.
Last year, approximately 500,000 babies were born preterm (less than 37 completed weeks gestation). Prematurity is the leading killer of newborns (preterm babies are 14 times more likely than other infants to die in the first year of life) and preterm babies who survive are too often left with serious long term disabilities, including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, chronic lung disease, blindness, and hearing loss. Prematurity is also costly in economic terms. In 2002 the total national hospital bill for premature babies was $15.5 billion, approximately one half of which was paid by employers (the remaining half was paid by public programs such as Medicaid). And to make matters worse, prematurity is a growing problem. In fact, the rate has increased by nearly 30% since 1981.
The first stage of the National Children's Study will yield critical information for research on prematurity. This will enable scientists and clinicians to develop interventions, treatment, and preventive measures to help these families.
In addition, the National Children's Study will generate information that will help reduce the incidence of serious birth defects. Birth defects are the leading cause of death in the first year of life, and can cause physical and mental disabilities that last a lifetime. In 2004, 120,000 babies were born with one or more significant birth defects, yet we do not know what causes between 60 and 70 percent of them. There is no more urgent need than to find the causes of these health problems, something that can be accomplished through the National Children's study that will follow 100,000 children for 21 years beginning with the pregnancies of their mothers.
