The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has pulled the plug on the National Children's Study (NCS), an ambitious study that would have examined the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children by following them from birth until age 21 years.
About $1.3 billion has been spent on the project since 2007, however, the NCS as currently designed is not feasible.
In a statement, James M. Perrin, MD, FAAP, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), said the decision to close the NCS is "disappointing. In our view, the NCS had the potential to help answer crucial questions about the health and development of children. We recognize, however, the significant challenges the study faced in a time of constrained public resources."
"The goals set forth in the Children's Health Act of 2000, which authorized the NCS, remain as relevant to child health today as they did 14 years ago," Dr Perrin said, and it is "essential that the United States maintain its commitment to these essential research priorities. The need for pediatric research has not diminished."
Bonnie: I am appalled that they could not find a way to make this study work. With the overall health of our children regressing, not progressing, a study like this is imperative.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
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It fits my experience with most federal agencies. And it usually isn't the scientists' idea, but the sweet spot at the top most vulnerable to special interests. I've said it before, this is the story of cell phones, too.
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