Grant County selected as national study site

MOSES LAKE — Grant County is one of 105 locations selected for a long-term study of children’s health in the United States.

MOSES LAKE - Grant County is one of 105 locations selected for a long-term study of children's health in the United States.

It will involve 100,000 kids nationwide.

The federally-funded study examines how a child's environment affects his health and development, said Phillip Butterfield, an associate research professor and study co-investigator, of Washington State University-Spokane.

The study's goal is to improve the health and well-being of future generations of children.

The study won't cure any diseases, but will hopefully provide some framework for the future.

Researchers want to know more about pregnancy outcomes, pre-term delivery, birth defects and children's injuries and how they affect their health.

They will also study certain types of exposures that come from a child's environment, such as chemical exposures, their biological environment, diet and ?genetics.

One of Butterfield's favorite sayings is "genetics load the gun and environment pulls the trigger."

Butterfield gave a presentation about the study to the Moses Lake City Council at their last meeting.

"Findings will expand prevention strategies, inform policy and improve the lives of future generations," he said.

Recruitment of Grant County parents and kids for a pilot portion of the National Children's Study starts this fall.

The pilot study is only done in 30 locations and the main study is expected to begin in 2012.

Study participants must live in certain areas of Grant County. The selected portions are three areas of Moses Lake and one area each in Mattawa/Desert Aire, Royal City, Quincy, Soap Lake and Electric City/northern Grant County.

Participants are required to complete questionnaires and provide biological samples.

Kids will be tracked from birth until the age of 21, but are allowed to quit participating when they become adults, Butterfield said.

In Moses Lake the field office is located at 321 S. Beech St.

Staff is being hired, with 10 to 11 people in the field office, and 24 to 30 people recruiting participants in their field.

Staff are trained in the fall. It's also when they begin their door-to-door visits to find and enroll eligible women and to obtain questionnaires from enrolled parents.

Women answer questions about their pregnancy.

Grant County entities assisting with the study are the Grant County Health District, Moses Lake Community Health Center, Quincy Community Health Center and Christine Price, of the Washington State University extension office in Ephrata.

Dr. David Curnel, a Moses Lake city councilman, called the study "ambitious" and commented about a real boom with kids having asthma, but no one knowing why.

"I think it's going to give us a lot of answers," Curnel said.

Councilmember Dick Deane said he participated in a Hanford study involving radiation, but never heard about the results.

Butterfield explained there is often a lag in funding with studies, and more money has to be found to analyze a huge amount of data.

Some data management improvements have occurred in the past 10 years. With this study, data collection is done on an iPad and sent to the University of Washington.

Participants receive minimal cash and non-cash compensation to help offset their time spent completing paperwork and providing samples.

They benefit by being part of a study.

For more information, visit www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov.