Epidemiologic Cohorts
NHLBI Growth and Health Study (NGHS)
The NGHS was initiated in 1987 in three sites: Cincinnati, OH; Berkeley, CA; and Washington, DC. The Cincinnati NGHS enrolled 871 girls aged 9 or 10 (50% African-American), who completed annual visits through age 24, and at ages 26 and 28 (17 total visits). The goals of this study were to characterize longitudinal growth and cardiovascular risk factor development through and beyond puberty, into young adulthood. Key areas of focus for the study included racial disparities in growth and development, including psychosocial development. The study visits included detailed assessments of demographic/household composition, anthropometrics and body composition by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), blood pressure, smoking/alcohol use, dietary intake (3-day diet records), physical activity/leisure activity, self-esteem/psychosocial assessments, MRI assessments of visceral fat (young adulthood) and echocardiograms (young adulthood). The study also includes assessment of puberty stage, menses onset and regularity, and prospective assessment of over 400 pregnancies occurring in the cohort. Blood samples were drawn at visits 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10-17, with biochemical measurements (lipids, insulin, glucose) and DNA, as well as an extensive biorepository. NGHS in Cincinnati is one of the seven cohorts included in the i3C Consortium.
The NGHS welcomes collaboration. Please contact Jessica Woo, MHSA, PhD or Elaine Urbina, MD, MS for information about data accessibility and collaborative work.
Email: nghs@cchmc.org
Website: nghs-cinci.org
Princeton Lipid Research Study (PLRS)
The Princeton Lipid Research Study was initiated as one of the Lipid Research Clinics in 1973. The LRC was designed to understand the distribution of lipid parameters in children and adolescents, which was not known at that time, and to evaluate lipid heritability in families. Children aged 5-19 in the Princeton City School District in Cincinnati, OH, were enrolled along with a 50% sample of their parents (n=10,893 enrolled). The initial visit included assessment of demographics, family structure, and a blood sample to assess lipids. A second visit, approximately six weeks after the first, invited back a 15% random sample of the visit one participants, plus individuals who had high levels of total cholesterol or triglycerides at visit one. Altogether, 2,652 participants were seen at visit two, where participants were assessed for demographics, anthropometry and blood pressure, cardiovascular risk factors, smoking/alcohol use, diet (single 24-hour recall) and reproductive history. Visit three (the Princeton Family Study) was conducted from 1976-1978, and included random and selected probands from visit two, and all first-degree relatives of the proband were invited. Assessments were limited in visit three to anthropometry and biochemical analysis, and excluded lifestyle and blood pressure assessments. A comprehensive follow-up visits of parents and children was conducted from 1999-2003. A large study biorepository exists for the adult visit. The PLRS is one of the seven cohorts included in the i3C Consortium.
The PLRS welcomes collaboration. Please contact Jessica Woo, MHSA, PhD for information about data accessibility and collaborative work.
Email: princetonstudy@cchmc.org
Epidemiology of Body Mass Index Rebound Study
The BMI Rebound Study was initiated in 2000, and enrolled 372 children aged 3 years old (48% female, 22% African-American), who were seen every 4 months to age 7 (13 total visits). The goal of this study was to evaluate factors that could predict the timing of BMI rebound between the ages of 4-7 and how BMI rebound related to later growth and obesity development. The study visits collected extensive data on demographics, anthropometrics, DXA imaging, diet (3-day diet records), physical activity (questionnaires and accelerometry), breastfeeding/early nutrition, growth chart data from birth to age 2, sleep, family medical history, pregnancy data from the child’s gestation, and parent information. Parents also had a study visit measuring anthropometry and body composition (DXA). Blood samples were taken at the final child study visit, when biochemical markers were assessed (e.g., lipids, glucose, insulin, leptin). No biorepository exists for this study.
The BMI Rebound Study welcomes collaboration. Please contact Jessica Woo, MHSA, PhD or Heidi Kalkwarf, PhD, RD for information about data accessibility and collaborative work.
Biorepository of Environment, Activity and Nutrition to Prevent Obesity-related Diseases (BEANPOD)
The BEANPOD study was conducted in 2013, and enrolled 234 children and adolescents (62% female, 46% African-American) at their first visit to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center HealthWorks! Obesity program. In addition to clinical data from the medical record, this study collected detailed questionnaire information from ~150 participants about parent and child demographics, personal and family medical history, weight history, physical activity, dietary habits, dietary intake (food frequency questionnaire), sleep duration and quality, secondhand smoke exposure, pregnancy history from the child’s gestation, breastfeeding/early nutrition, self-esteem, quality of life, and parental psychosocial distress. Despite the study title, no biorepository exists for this study.
The BEANPOD Study welcomes collaboration. Please contact Jessica Woo, MHSA, PhD for information about data accessibility and collaborative work.
