Communications, engagement, and dissemination strategies for the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study.

The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study, a multi-site prospective longitudinal cohort study, will examine human brain, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development beginning prenatally and planned through early childhood. Study success depends on the engagement and inclusion of diverse populations of pregnant participants and their children across the United States, including those at high and low risk for prenatal substance use. The Communications, Engagement, and Dissemination (CED) Committee is responsible for the development and implementation of a strategy to promote awareness about the study, encourage participation, and engage HBCD families, community partners, and collaborators.

The HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study (HBCD): NIH collaboration to understand the impacts of prenatal and early life experiences on brain development.

The human brain undergoes rapid development during the first years of life. Beginning in utero, a wide array of biological, social, and environmental factors can have lasting impacts on brain structure and function. To understand how prenatal and early life experiences alter neurodevelopmental trajectories and shape health outcomes, several NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices collaborated to support and launch the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study.

Introduction to the Special Issue on "Informing Longitudinal Studies on the Effects of Maternal Stress and Substance Use on Child Development: Planning for the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study".

The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) study will establish a large cohort of pregnant women from regions of the country significantly affected by the opioid crisis and follow them and their children for at least 10 years. Findings from this cohort will help researchers understand normative childhood brain development as well as the long-term impact of prenatal and postnatal opioid and other drug and environmental exposures. The study will collect data on pregnancy and fetal development; infant and early childhood structural and functional brain imaging; anthropometrics; medical history; family history; biospecimens; and social, emotional, and cognitive development.