It has been a big year for the ECHO Program.
Among other successes, ECHO Cohort enrollment during pregnancy and during childhood has exceeded targets, and our pioneering work on preconception influences on child health is now off the ground. Our researchers continue to publish findings that inform programs, policy, and practice.
In the December issue of the ECHO Connector, we highlight research into birth outcomes of pregnant women living in historically redlined neighborhoods, and the association between exposure to flame-retardants during pregnancy and childhood obesity risk. Don’t miss our ECHO Cohort Year in Review (summarized below) on ECHOchildren.org.
In the ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN), the first phase of the Advancing Clinical Trials in Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (ACT NOW) Weaning trial*— which compares rapid with slow opioid weaning among newborns with NOWs who require medication treatment — is complete. Study teams are now following children through the age of 2 years to look at development and family functioning. Our investigators also published two new papers from the landmark ACT NOW Eat, Sleep, Console trial.
The Bronchiolitis Recovery and the Use of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filters (BREATHE) trial, which aims to determine the extent to which indoor air filtration improves respiratory symptoms in children under 12 months of age who have been hospitalized for bronchiolitis, is complete. The study staffs across the 17 sites not only recruited participants faster than we anticipated, but they also retained a very high number of them through 6 months of follow-up, thus enhancing validity of results. We await the primary findings of the Weaning and BREATHE trials.
Thank you for your continued support for the ECHO Program. Have a wondrous holiday season!
Matthew Gillman, MD, SM
Director of the ECHO Program
*ACT NOW clinical trials represent a collaboration between the ECHO Program and the NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), funded through the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative (HEAL).