Pregnancy vitamin C to protect children's airway health
Official title: Vitamin C to Decrease Effects of Smoking during Pregnancy on Offspring Airway Function, Airway Size, and Epigenetic Correlates: VCSIP cohort follow-up through 10 Years of Age
Funded at Oregon Health & Science University · NIH-11138761 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Pregnant people who smoke take vitamin C to help their babies keep stronger lungs through childhood.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,759,422 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL162951-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11138761 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are children born to people who smoked during pregnancy and who were enrolled in the original VCSIP randomized trial.
✕Less likely to help
Children whose mothers did not smoke during pregnancy or who were not part of the original trial are unlikely to be eligible or to gain direct benefit from this follow-up.
What this research studies
This follow-up tracks children up to age 10 whose mothers smoked during pregnancy and were randomized to vitamin C or placebo. Children return for breathing tests, measurements of airway size, health questionnaires about wheeze and respiratory symptoms, and collection of samples to study epigenetic changes. Researchers compare lung function and respiratory outcomes between the original vitamin C and placebo groups as the children grow. The team remains blinded to individual treatment assignments and builds on earlier positive results from infancy and early childhood.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could show that giving vitamin C during pregnancy reduces wheeze and improves long-term lung growth in children of smokers.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier randomized results from the same VCSIP trial showed better infant and 5-year lung function and less wheeze in the vitamin C group, so this follow-up extends those promising findings.
Where this research is happening
-
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcevoy, Cynthia T — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Mcevoy, Cynthia T
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Vitamin C in Pregnancy to Protect Kids’ Lungs from Smoking Effects
A pregnancy vitamin C trial tests whether supplementing smoking mothers with vitamin C can improve kids’ lung function and reduce wheeze as they grow.
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Vitamin C and Smoking in Pregnancy: long-term lung health and airway changes in children
This grant follows children and families over many years to understand how maternal smoking and vitamin C during pregnancy affect a child’s lungs and airway health, including epigenetic changes.
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Following up on vitamin C and smoking in pregnancy to understand children's lung health
This project continues to follow children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy, and some who also took vitamin C, to understand how these factors affect their lung health over time.
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Understanding how delay discounting affects smoking during pregnancy
This study is looking at why some pregnant women find it hard to quit smoking even though they really want to, and it’s using a mobile app to help understand their choices better so that we can create better ways to support them in stopping smoking for the health of both mom and baby.
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A mobile app to help pregnant women in Romania quit smoking with peer support
This study is testing a helpful mobile app for pregnant women in Romania who want to quit smoking, offering personalized support and a way to involve a friend or family member in their journey to stay smoke-free during and after pregnancy.
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How air pollution during pregnancy affects fetal growth over time
This study looks at how air pollution affects the growth of babies in the womb during pregnancy, using ultrasound images to track changes over time, and it aims to help expectant parents understand when their babies might be most at risk from pollution.
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.