Pre-, Peri-, and Postnatal (pregnancy and birth)
Upper and Lower Airway (breathing)
Obesity
(body weight)
Neurodevelopment (brain development)
Positive Health
(well-being)well-being
ECHO researchers use data from more than 64,000 diverse children and their families across the U.S. to explore early determinants of child well-being, such as maternal health during pregnancy, family and social support, sleep, media use, physical activity, family hardships, and chronic health conditions.
Positive Health Resources
CDC: Promoting Social and Emotional Health
Provides articles and tools promoting social and emotional health of children and adults.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center
Provides information on how to promote children’s social and emotional well-being. Helps families and educators understand the connections between childhood mental health and overall well-being.
QUESTIONS
For more information, please email the NIH at NIHKidsandEnvironment@od.nih.gov.
For media inquiries or to request an interview, contact Rebekah Yeager at rebekah.yeager@nih.gov.
How ECHO Advances Research on Positive Health
Positive health research in ECHO examines a child’s sense of well-being, as measured by overall health, life satisfaction, and meaning and purpose. Positive health differs from the mere absence of disease. It is a health outcome that spans the whole child rather than focusing on one or more organs or systems.
ECHO also takes an asset- or strength-based approach to positive health and its other four health focus areas. An asset-based approach looks at factors that promote health or prevent disease alongside more typical approaches that examine disease causes. Some assets may reflect resilience factors or the ability to cope in harmful biological, behavioral, or social environments.
By including positive health as one of its five priority outcomes, ECHO seeks to advance scientific understanding of the developmental pathways that help explain how children can lead happy and healthy lives.
What We're Learning
The ECHO Program has published more than 1,800 articles about the results of its research, including many that looked at positive health outcomes.
Here are some research highlights:
Children in High Gun Violence Areas Less Likely to Report Excellent Health, ECHO Study Finds
November 2025
Parents reported worse health for children living in areas with high levels of gun violence, with the largest effects in high-poverty, high-violence neighborhoods.
Strong Friendships Matter More than Time Spent on Social Media for Adolescent Mental Health, ECHO Study Finds
February 2025
High-quality peer relationships were the strongest predictor of teen well-being, regardless of social media use, with a magnitude nearly three times as large as the association between social media use and poor mental health.
Maternal Stress During and After Pregnancy May Be Linked to Child Sleep Problems
December 2024
Maternal stress during pregnancy showed a small bus significant association with child sleep problems and sleep disturbances.
Children with Autism at Higher Risk for a Range of Diverse Health Outcomes
October 2024
Many people on the autism spectrum report that they would rather prioritize research into factors influencing their overall health and well-being.
Harsh Parenting and High Socioeconomic Stress May Be Associated with Higher Internalizing Problems Like Anxiety in Children
April 2024
Children with more difficult family situations, including financial stress and negative interactions with parents, were more likely to have stronger emotional challenges.