The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family & Child Health
The appearance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in March 2019, and the resulting pandemic has fundamentally changed life for nearly everyone in the US. School and daycare closures, potential loss of employment, and changes in economic, housing, and food security have all impacted us in different ways and this stress, anxiety, and insecurity may leave a lasting imprint on family and child health. We are specifically following children who may have been infected and had COVID-19 illness (including MIS-C); pregnant women who may have had COVID-19 illness during pregnancy; as well as mothers who were pregnant, and children born before or during the pandemic but did not get sick. The goal of this work is to better understand the impact of COVID-19 illness on infant and child neurodevelopment, with and without the overlapping environmental impacts of the pandemic. This is crucial knowledge, as the long-term effects of the past year are unknown.
The study involves assessments of maternal and fetal / infant nutritional health, cognitive performance (such as IQ, language development, etc.) and brain development (assessed by ultrasound, US, and magnetic resonance imaging, MRI). We also have detailed questionnaires about sleep, eating behaviors, family environment, and child activities.All assessments are safe and painless for you and your infant.
To Participate
If you are an expecting or new mother, or have a child under 6 years of age and would like to participate in this study, please email (info@babyimaginglab.com) or call (401-338-6943) or fill out the following information and we will get in touch ASAP.