Project Newborn~Next Steps – Summary
Project Newborn~Next Steps is a longitudinal study of prenatal cocaine exposure funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
This study investigates the developmental outcomes of prenatal cocaine/polydrug exposure in an urban, low socioeconomic, largely African-American population.
Maternal psychopathology, parenting, characteristics, postnatal drug use, and other environmental risk, conceptualized to influence prenatal exposure effects on child outcomes, are also investigated.
The study has been funded in three phases beginning in 1994 and refunded in 1998 and 2002. A cohort of 415 children have been followed since shortly after infant birth and assessed at 6, 12, and 24 months and at 4, 6, 9, and 10 years. We are currently assessing 10 and 11 year-old children and will begin the 12-year assessment in the fall of 2006.
Significance:
Prenatal exposure to cocaine continues to be a significant societal problem especially in poor urban areas of the U.S.
As there are few methodologically adequate, published follow-up studies beyond the neonatal and infancy period, outcome from four and six year, as well as emering 9 year data, provides important new information.
Longer term follow-up through the adolescent period is necessary to assess persistence and significance of developmental abnormalities and sub-optimal caregiving environments.
 Publications from this research can be downloaded
from the publications section of this site in PDF format.
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