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In This Issue
- A new study explores childcare's impact on children's mental health
- The latest ECHO studies about nutrition in pregnancy, autism, and healthy behaviors and executive function
- Upcoming and past ECHO Discovery webinars
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Now that the NIH ECHO Program is in its 9th year, it’s a good time to see how far we’ve come. ECHO continues to produce impactful research on the root causes of chronic childhood disease, including preterm birth, allergies and asthma, obesity, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and mental health challenges, among others. These causes may include what pregnant women and children eat, chemicals to which they are exposed, stress, and many other factors that ECHO researchers explore.
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In its second 7-year cycle, the ECHO Cohort is enrolling pregnant women and their children in numbers even beyond what we projected. These new participants add to the potential impact of ECHO Cohort, already the largest longitudinal child health study in the U.S. The ECHO Cohort draws data from more than 130,000 participants, including more than 60,000 children, nationwide.
The ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN) has built the capacity to take on more and more complex issues, and its success is also reflected in the funding its sites have secured to address actionable research questions outside the Network’s own priority areas. The ECHO ISPCTN is the only NIH clinical trial network focused on children from rural or underserved communities, and some of its studies have already changed clinical practice in these areas.
I mention these accomplishments, in part, because they are aligned with the new administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” focus. ECHO plays a leading role in NIH research that “addresses the childhood chronic disease crisis.” In addition to pinpointing root causes, ECHO informs prevention of chronic conditions and promotes well-being among America’s children.
Thank you, as always, for helping us achieve ECHO’s mission to enhance the health of children for generations to come.
Matthew Gillman, MD, SM
Director of the ECHO Program
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Childcare outside the home has little impact
on children's mental health, study finds
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Michelle Bosquet Enlow, PhD explored whether time spent in childcare had an impact on children's mental health.
Key findings
- Children facing early life adversity were more likely to have higher levels of anxiety, depression, aggression, or hyperactivity symptoms.
- Childcare attendance did not seem to be associated with increased or decreased levels of mental health symptoms, including among children facing adversity.
- The study did not find any evidence that the number of hours in childcare corresponded to worse mental health outcomes for children, even those at elevated psychosocial and socioeconomic risk.
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ECHO in the News
Check out news coverage of this story.
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Recent Research Results
Stay up to date as ECHO researchers continue to share their data analyses and insights. Read research summaries on recently published ECHO research articles on these topics:
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Children with Autism More Likely to Experience Emotional and Behavioral Challenges
ECHO research led by Heather Volk, PhD found that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had higher scores on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), indicating a possible connection to greater emotional and behavior problems overall—including depression, anxiety, and ADHD—compared to children without ASD.
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Executive Functioning May Be Connected to Child Health Behaviors
ECHO research led by Nichole Kelly, PhD, Derek Kosty, PhD, and Leslie Leve, PhD found that children with stronger executive function skills exhibited healthier behaviors, including better eating habits and increased physical activity. However, the specific health behaviors that showed the greatest impact varied by childhood stage.
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Guideline-Based Pregnancy Nutrition
Linked to Better Infant Growth
ECHO research led by Monique Hedderson, PhD, and Assiamira Ferrara, MD, PhD found that expectant mothers who maintain a diet that meets USDA dietary guidelines during pregnancy may be more likely to have infants with healthy birthweight. Researchers said that the findings represent an opportunity for an early obesity prevention strategy.
| | ECHO Discovery is a monthly webinar series with educational presentations for the ECHO community and anyone else interested in environmental influences on child health. | |
Join us for the next monthly webinar
On April 9 at 1 p.m., Linda Kahn, PhD, MPH of NYU Grossman School of Medicine will speak on "Opportunities and challenges for subfecundity research in ECHO."
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February
Pediatric Disability Research
Nathalie Maitre, MD, PhD of Emory University School of Medicine will demonstrate how quantitative and qualitative research can inform the design, outcomes, recruitment, and retention of children with disabilities and their families, with a special focus on often-overlooked physical disabilities.
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January
An Introduction to the NIH Baby Toolbox
In January, Courtney K. Blackwell, PhD, EdM and Richard Gershon, PhD of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine spoke about the NIH Infant and Toddler “Baby” Toolbox, a new neuropsychological, cognitive, motor, and social assessment battery for ages 1-42 months.
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