Birth defects continue to be a leading cause of infant mortality and childhood disability in the United States. The cause of most birth defects remains unknown. This overall objective of this proposal is to continue the activities of North Carolina Center for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (NCCBDRP). The NCCBDRP conducts research aimed at understanding the environmental and genetic causes of birth defects. The NCCBDRP oversees birth defects surveillance and participates in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS), a national case-control study of risk factors for birth defects. The overall goal of the NCCBDRP implementation of the NBDPS protocol is to identify and interview the mothers of 300 birth defects cases and 100 controls in our 33 county study area in North Carolina and collect buccal cell samples from the mother, father, and child for genetic analysis. The NCCBDRP will use pooled NBDPS data and DNA samples and in collaboration with other NBDPS centers proposes to investigate occupational, environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors in the etiology of birth defects. The NCCBDRP also proposes to use epidemiologic and statistical methods to evaluate the quality of the interview data and study design. Pilot studies will be conducted to expand and improve existing study design and methods. Although the NCCBDRP joined the NBDPS in only 2003, it has established a history of developing and implementing high quality case ascertainment and data collection systems, and a history of demonstrated collaborative research capacity. The NC Center has positively influenced the overall success of the NBDPS through its leadership and input on key study components.
Birth defects continue to be a leading cause of infant mortality and childhood disability in the United States. The cause of most birth defects remains unknown. This overall objective of this proposal is to better understand the environmental and genetic causes of birth defects.
| Strassle, Paula D; Cassell, Cynthia H; Shapira, Stuart K et al. (2015) What we don't know can hurt us: Nonresponse bias assessment in birth defects research. Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol 103:603-9 |
