Fish is an important part of a healthy diet, especially during pregnancy. For example, the evidence-based Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women consume 8 to 12 ounces of fish per week. However, relatively little information is available about how much fish people actually consume in pregnancy, and more research is needed on health outcomes related to consumption ...

Collaborative ECHO research led by Michael O’Shea, MD, MPH of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Medicine investigates the effects of growth and weight gain during infancy on neurodevelopment and obesity in children born very preterm. This research, titled “Association of Growth During Infancy with Neurodevelopment and Obesity in Children Born Very Preterm: The Environmental influences on ...

From posters and symposiums to oral presentations and flash talks, 19 Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program teams will present at three upcoming conferences. ISEE: International Society for Environmental Epidemiology: August 25-28, 2024 The International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) Conference will be held in Santiago, Chile Aug. 25-28. This year’s conference addresses how the scientific community faces current health ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted daily life and has raised concerns about its impact on children’s well-being. A new study from the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program (ECHO) sheds light on how a neighborhood’s physical and social environment influenced a child’s well-being before and during the pandemic. According to an analysis of ECHO Cohort data, the ...

Collaborative ECHO research led by Vanja Klepac-Ceraj, PhD, of Wellesley College, and Juliette C. Madan, MD, MS, of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, investigates the relationship between the infant gut microbiome and childhood autism-related traits. This research, titled “Prospective Association of the Infant Gut Microbiome with Social Behaviors in the ECHO Consortium,” is published in Molecular Autism. The study sought to identify ...

Collaborative ECHO research led by John Meeker, ScD of the University of Michigan, and Jordan Kuiper, PhD of George Washington University, investigates the relationship between phthalate exposure and high blood pressure during pregnancy. This research, titled “Urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites in relation to preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) ...

Collaborative ECHO Cohort research led by Lisa Kurth, PhD of the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus investigates the potential influence of maternal exposure to synthetic oxytocin during childbirth—and the contribution of maternal obesity—on neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. Synthetic oxytocin (e.g., Pitocin, Syntocinon) is a drug commonly used to assist women during childbirth by stimulating uterine contractions. The researchers examined data ...

Collaborative ECHO research led by Lue Williams, MA, MS, Veronica Oro, PhD and Leslie Leve, PhD of the Prevention Science Institute at the University of Oregon investigates the relationship between two early childhood stress factors, harsh parenting and socioeconomic stress, and children’s development from childhood through adolescence. This research, titled “Influence of Early Childhood Parental Hostility and Socioeconomic Stress on ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Children who live in areas with natural spaces (e.g., forests, parks, backyards) from birth may experience fewer emotional issues between the ages of 2 and 5, according to a study funded by the NIH Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program. While research has suggested that time in nature is important for mental health, studies examining the effects ...

Collaborative ECHO research led by Drew Day, PhD of Seattle Children’s Research Institute uses machine learning statistical algorithms to explore patterns of health outcomes in children. The researchers also investigated how exposures during pregnancy to phthalates—chemicals widely used in plastics that have previously been linked with preterm birth—can influence the development of multiple health conditions during childhood. This research, titled ...