Vanderbilt, national health study to track children from birth to 21

By Tom Wilemon • THE TENNESSEAN • December 1, 2010 Expectant mothers in Davidson County can now enroll in what will be the nation’s largest child health study that seeks to identify the causes of autism, obesity, asthma, birth defects and other disorders. The National Children's Study will track the children’s health from birth to the age of 21. Vanderbilt University Medical Center is doing the study in conjunction with the Davidson Partners for Children’s Health. Officials celebrated the launch of study Wednesday morning. Davidson County is one of 30 pilot sites for the study, which will ultimately cover 105 areas across the nation with more than 100,000 enrollees. The goal here is to have 1,000 children from Davidson County enrolled over the next four years. Women who plan to become pregnant or are expecting can learn about the study by calling 1-866-346-2684 or by visiting www.davidsoncounty.nationalchildrensstudy.gov