How public health crises shape women's reproductive and child health over time

Reproductive and Child Health Trajectories in the Context of Public Health Crises

NIH-funded research University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11399649

This project follows women in a hard-hit country to show how disease outbreaks and other public health crises change their fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and young children's health over time.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Pennsylvania NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Philadelphia, United States)
Project IDNIH-11399649 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

This research follows a group of women over several years in a country hard-hit by infectious outbreaks, using surveys, interviews, and linked health data to track fertility, pregnancies, birth outcomes, and child wellbeing. It expands an existing three-year panel (DZC-1) for an additional three years to capture short- and long-term changes after repeated public health shocks. You would be invited to take part in periodic interviews, share reproductive histories and child health information, and allow researchers to link your responses with population or health records. The team combines statistical analysis with personal stories to understand how community-level crises affect individual reproductive lives and child health.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal participants are women of reproductive age (including those with children up to about age 11) living in the study country who can complete interviews and share reproductive and child-health information.

Not a fit: People who are not women of reproductive age, who live outside the study region, or who cannot take part in follow-up interviews are unlikely to directly benefit from participation.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help shape health programs and policies that protect reproductive health and child wellbeing during and after infectious disease crises.

How similar studies have performed: Few population-based, longitudinal mixed-method studies have tracked women's reproductive trajectories across multiple public-health shocks, so this approach is relatively novel though it builds on smaller outbreak-specific and regional studies.

Where this research is happening

Philadelphia, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-10 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.