Then Again
Audrey Juds, a longtime resident of New Berlin, has worked over 25 years covering the city as a reporter, editor and columnist. Contact her at dajuds@att.net.
National children's study involves New Berlin.
National children’s study involves New Berlin.
New Berlin nurse, Mary Strehlow, promotes neighborhood study.
Women in three designated New Berlin neighborhoods have the opportunity to participate in a national study involving the health of children, according to Mary Strehlow, a nurse and long-time resident.
When speaking to members of the Rotary Club of New Berlin, Aug. 5, Strehlow emphasized this is the largest long-term study of children’s health ever conducted in the United States. Starting Aug. 10, trained personnel are going door to door in these neighborhoods.
She encourages residents to welcome these enumerators (interviewers) who will be looking for participants. This is not for tracking children already here, she emphasized, but for those to come. They are looking for women -- ages 18 to 40 -- who are pregnant or expect to become pregnant within the next five years. Participants also should expect to live in one of the county’s 17 neighborhoods during the child’s first year.
The goal of the study is to improve the health of children by looking at the effects of the environment. The study would follow these children from birth to age 21, looking at how their surroundings affect various health issues -- allergies, asthma, autism, obesity and diabetes, among others.
The study is being conducted in Waukesha County by scientists from the UW-Madison, Medical College of Wisconsin, UW-Milwaukee, and Children’s Health and Hospital System. There also is support from community agencies and organizations throughout Waukesha County.
Strehlow showed her audience a map of the United States, which pinpoints areas of participation. She noted that Waukesha County is the only part of Wisconsin involved in the study. She expects about 14,000 households will be contacted in the three randomly selected New Berlin neighborhoods. They will be checking out who lives there and looking for referrals.
She assured that participation in the study is voluntary and confidential. It is described as observational, which means no treatments or interventions will be involved.
Since Waukesha County is one of the first seven locations in the country to be part of the study, it is considered a "pilot" site. Also, participants will be compensated for their time spent and expense incurred, along with small tokens of appreciation.
"This is a popular study because it is about children," Strehlow added.
Asked how she became involved in this study, Strehlow said she was invited to serve as a volunteer for the outreach portion of the study and its promotion by one of the researchers who knew she was a nurse in obstetrics. She also serves on the advisory board as a member of the community.
For additional information one may contact Community Liaison Katie Miller at 262-798-0008.
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