Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)
What affects a child’s growth? Is it more than just DNA? What contributes to his or her ability to do well in school, weight and risk of developing asthma? These are just a few questions being asked in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program.
Avera is one of only 35 nationwide cohorts chosen to participate in ECHO – a national research program launched and supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The goal of this study is to improve child and adolescent health by looking at how a broad range of environmental influences – including sleep, nutrition, allergens and social relationships – affect children both prenatally and after birth.
Because of their high impact on public health, five key outcomes will be investigated:
- Upper and lower airway conditions, such as asthma
- Obesity
- Neurodevelopment, including ADHD and autism
- Pre-, peri- and postnatal outcomes, such as prematurity
- Positive health