How early childhood support shapes health and family outcomes across generations
Official title: Demographic, Mortality, and Intergenerational Effects of Family Support Programs
Funded at De Paul University · NIH-11456839 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project studies how a historical program that supported poor families in early childhood could influence health, births, and lifespan for people and their children many decades later.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R03 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | De Paul University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $161,814 |
| NIH project number | 7R03HD117092-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11456839 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable as this is a historical-data study using archival records, not recruiting living participants.
✕Less likely to help
No direct patient participation or benefit is expected since this uses historical records rather than enrolling people.
What this research studies
Researchers will analyze historical census data from England and Wales to see if changes in family support during childhood affected fertility and age at death across three generations. The study uses a natural historical experiment based on the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 to observe long-term outcomes. The project focuses on long-run health and longevity questions that matter to families today and will require careful handling of historical records and complex statistical analysis. The work could reveal how early-life conditions shape life trajectories for individuals and their descendants.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could illuminate how early social supports influence long-term health and family outcomes, informing policies that invest in children.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that early-life conditions influence later outcomes, but this project extends evidence across multiple generations using a novel historical natural experiment.
Where this research is happening
-
De Paul University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mayo, Jennifer — De Paul University
- Study coordinator: Mayo, Jennifer
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.