How neighborhoods, food, and chemical exposures affect health from pregnancy through childhood
Official title: Neighborhoods and health across the life course: Early life food security, diet quality, and chemical exposures
Funded at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC. · NIH-11319104 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how food choices, chemical exposures, and where people live during pregnancy and childhood might connect to heart health for both mothers and children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Canton, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,518,866 |
| NIH project number | 4UH3OD035533-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11319104 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This research is relevant to pregnant individuals, new mothers, and children, particularly those experiencing food insecurity or living in neighborhoods with limited access to healthy food options.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not experiencing food insecurity or related environmental exposures may not directly benefit from the specific findings of this particular research.
What this research studies
We know that not having enough healthy food can lead to health problems like obesity and heart disease in children and adults. This project explores how food insecurity around pregnancy, which often leads to eating more processed foods, might expose mothers and babies to harmful chemicals. These factors can contribute to pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes or high blood pressure, which then increase the risk of heart disease later in life for both mother and child. We want to understand how neighborhood characteristics, like access to healthy food or social services, play a role in these health connections. Our goal is to gather information that can help create policies to improve health outcomes for families.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help inform policies and programs that improve access to healthy food and reduce harmful chemical exposures, leading to better heart health for mothers and children.
How similar studies have gone: While food insecurity is known to affect health, less is understood about its specific health effects around pregnancy and the role of chemical exposures, making this a novel area of focus.
Where this research is happening
-
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC.
Canton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Oken, Emily — Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC.
- Study coordinator: Oken, Emily
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.