ECHO Participants

Welcome to the ECHO Program!

The goal of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program is to understand the effects of a broad range of early environmental influences on child health and development.

Participants are important and valuable partners in ECHO research. By taking part in ECHO, participants help create a big-picture view of what influences child health in the United States. This information will help ECHO researchers find answers to important questions. Participants are essential to achieving ECHO’s mission of enhancing the health of children for generations to come.

ECHO Conversations

The ECHO Conversations interview series connects members of the ECHO Participant Action Board (PAB) with ECHO researchers and staff. The PAB is a group of ECHO participants who contribute their voices and lived experiences to help shape the ECHO Program’s research priorities and participant-facing materials.

Join the
Our ECHO, Our Health Facebook Group!

Discover ECHO Research

Discover what ECHO researchers have learned about:

Pre-, Peri-, and Postnatal (pregnancy and birth) Flyer

Upper and Lower Airway (breathing)
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Obesity (body weight)
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Neurodevelopment (brain development) Flyer

Positive Health (well-being)
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View more ECHO Research

Topics of Interest

View more topics of interest.

Social and Neighborhood Factors
How neighborhood and social conditions such as safety, resources, and air quality can be tied to outcomes like obesity, asthma, and mental health

Nutrition
How diet and access to healthy food can influence growth and development from pregnancy through childhood

Chemical Exposures
How everyday chemicals like PFAS, lead, phthalates, phenols, parabens, and others can affect children's growth and health

Media Use
The ways digital media use and screen time may shape children's health and well-being

Understand What ECHO Collects from Participants

Your ECHO team may ask you or your child to fill out surveys or provide certain samples at specific visits. Samples that participants may be asked to provide (e.g., blood, urine, hair, saliva) are also known as biospecimens. Participants may also be asked to provide certain samples from their household environment (e.g., tap water).

Download the 2026 ECHO Biospecimens Chart for a list of data and samples ECHO participants might be asked to contribute this year.

Learn more about different samples your ECHO team might ask you or your child to contribute:

View a Map of the ECHO Program
Other Resources for Participants