Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program

The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, a nationwide research initiative, aims to investigate the root causes of childhood chronic diseases and how to prevent them. The mission is to enhance the health of children for generations to come. The Program has two major components: the ECHO Cohort for observational research and the ECHO Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN) for intervention research. The ECHO Cohort is the largest longitudinal child health study in the United States, with data from more than 150,000 children and their families—from before conception through age 21 years-- integrated into one powerful resource. The studies share standardized protocol, data elements, and biospecimen collection procedure managed by centralized cores. The ECHO Institutional Development Award (IDeA) States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN) brings state-of-the-art clinical trials to children and families in rural or underserved areas, focusing on conditions that disproportionately affect these communities. This network also provides capacity building and professional development to institutions in states with historically low rates of NIH funding. The ECHO program focuses on five key pediatric outcomes that have a high public health impact: prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal outcomes; upper and lower airway conditions; obesity; neurodevelopment; and positive child health or well-being.