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Graduate School of Public Health
Hovell Contributes to Study Tracking 100,000 Children in U.S.
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Dr. Mel Hovell
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Dr. Mel Hovell, Distinguished Professor in the Graduate School of Public Health and Director of the Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health, was awarded a $4.5 million grant to contribute to the National Children's Study that will examine the environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21. One thousand subjects will be recruited in San Diego County. Dr. Hovell is working with Dr. Tina Chambers at University of California, San Diego on this critical endeavor.
Dr. Hovell's work will help contribute to the longitudinal study and will create one of the most diverse and encircling resources related to children's health and development.
"I am honored to be a part of this effort. This study will synthesize vital research on child and environmental health that will impact health care policy and the nation for generations to come," said Dr. Hovell.
The study will focus on a broad array of topics including natural and man-made environment factors, biological and chemical factors, physical surroundings, social factors, behavioral influences and outcomes, genetics, cultural and family influences and differences and geographic locations.
It will explore questions that public health officials have asked for years, such as, can very early exposure to some allergens actually help children remain asthma-free?; how do genes and the environment interact to promote or prevent violent behavior in teenagers?; are lack of exercise and poor diet the only reasons why many children are overweight?; do infections impact developmental progress, asthma, obesity, and heart disease?; how do city and neighborhood planning and construction encourage or discourage injuries?
"This is simply one of the most comprehensive and unique studies of its kind," said Dr. Hovell.
This study is unique for many reasons. One reason is that results will be made public as the study progresses. In fact, the preliminary results from the first year of the study will be available as soon as 2009 or 2010. Additionally, the study will utilize the most cutting-edge programs, communications and techniques to track subjects, which leads to the most reliable results. Last, the study uses an overarching approach by integrating a variety of sources to compile data, including federal, state, and local agencies, universities, academic and professional societies, medical centers, communities, organizations, industries, companies, and other private groups to create an unbiased result.
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Agencies funding the study include the Environmental Protective Agency, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, & the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Hovell is just one of the many faculty members in the Graduate School of Public Health that is working on extraordinary research that relates to San Diego and the nation. To learn more about the NCS or Graduate School of Public Health, please visit, http://publichealth.sdsu.edu.
http://publichealth.sdsu.edu
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