The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #63670

Brenda Eskenazi, PhD¹, Asa Bradman, PhD¹, Eleanor A. Gladstone, MPH¹, Selene Jaramillo, MA², Kelly Birch³, and Nina Holland, PhD⁴. (1) Center for Children's Environmental Health Research, University of California, Berkeley, 2150 Shattuck Ave, Suite 600, Berkeley, CA 94720-7380, (2) CHAMACOS Project, Natividad Medical Center, 1441 Constitution Blvd., Salinas, CA 93906, (3) CHAMACOS Project, Children's Hospital Oakland, 747 - 52nd Street, Room 202, Oakland, CA 94609, (4) Center for Children's Environmental Health Research, University of California Berkeley, School of Public Health, 140 Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360

In the year 2000, the US Congress passed the Children’s Health Act directing the nation to conduct a national birth cohort study of environmental influences on children’s health and development. Although the challenges of collecting longitudinal data may be greatest in minority or impoverished rural communities, these communities are most at risk for exposure to environmental hazards and should be represented in the National Children’s Study. In anticipation of the National Children’s Study, lessons can be learned from current smaller birth cohort studies. For example, NIEHS and EPA have funded 12 Centers for Children’s Environmental Health Research, a number of which are conducting longitudinal birth cohort studies to understand the environmental impact on children’s health. The Center at the University of California, Berkeley, known as CHAMACOS (Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas) is a community-university partnership studying pesticide and allergen exposures to pregnant women and their children, and the potential effects of these exposures on growth, neurodevelopment, and respiratory disease. This paper describes some of the lessons that have been learned by CHAMACOS researchers. These include the importance of building a strong community infrastructure; recognizing language, translation, and literacy challenges; navigating difficult ethical issues and human subjects protection challenges; and cultural and logistic barriers to collecting and processing biological and environmental samples.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to:
• List some of the unique environmental health risks of children living in rural impoverished communities.
• List the unique challenges faced by researchers working in rural communities.
• Discuss possible solutions for some of these challenges.

Keywords: Children's Health, Environmental Health

Related Web page: www.chamacos.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.