“HERO” stands for “Health’s Early Roots and Origins.” The study’s name points to the fact that the experiences we have early in life shape our lifelong health and development.
Families with healthy children ages four months to five years (up until just before their 6th birthday) are eligible to participate in the study. We estimate that a few thousand children and families will participate in the HERO Study across the United States at early learning centers, pediatric primary care offices, University-based lab clinics, and community centers. The overall enrollment across different contexts aims to reflect the ethnic, geographic, racial, and socio-economic diversity of the United States.
If you choose to join the study, you will fill out an electronic, confidential questionnaire about family life stresses and supports. The questionnaire should take about 15-30 minutes to complete. Once enough families in your area enroll, the HERO study team will visit your child’s center and collect samples from your child, including a cheek swab, saliva, and a small snippet of hair.
Sample collection is quick (about 15-30 minutes) and painless. Your child’s height, weight, head circumference, and temperature will also be measured. If your child is 2.5 – 5 years old, we will ask them to play a brief (3-5 minutes) attention skills game on a tablet. On the day of your child’s data collection visit, the research team will send you a few quick questions to answer by email or text.
The hair sample is gathered by taking a small snip of hair from the crown of the child’s head. We acknowledge the various cultural beliefs and values surrounding hair and understand related concerns around hair sample collection. We collect the minimal amount of hair necessary. In most cases, the hair snip is not noticeable but may be temporarily noticeable for some children, particularly if the child has very short hair.
We have provided referenced images of the hair collection process of different hair textures to ensure transparency and help families understand what to expect. You can view these images here: Hair Collection Visuals for HERO Families
The electronic questionnaire takes about 15-20 minutes. Collecting samples will only take a few minutes, and the tablet-based game takes approximately 3 to 5 minutes to complete. On the day of your child’s data collection visit, the research team will also send you a few quick questions to answer by email or text—it should only take a couple of minutes for you to respond.
The risks of participating in this study are minimal. You may be uncomfortable answering personal questions. Your child may fuss or become upset during data collection; a staff member will be with your child during collection, and they can ask to stop at any time. The hair snip is not noticeable in most children with different lengths and textures of hair but may be temporarily noticeable in some cases (e.g., if the child does not have a lot of hair).
Study information will be stored in locked file cabinets and on secure computers. The biological samples (hair, cheek swabs, and saliva) will be shipped to and stored at a collaborating lab for analysis. Only staff directly involved in this study will have access to the data collected. Your data (e.g., your survey responses and your child’s samples) will be de-identified with a unique code to protect your privacy. Your identifiable information, such as your name and contact details, will be stored separately from your data with one exception: your email address will be stored alongside your survey responses. This arrangement allows us to send you automatic notifications related to the study as well as a gift card (see below). Study results will be published in a way that does not identify you, using aggregated data. Please note that individual results will not be provided to participants or school staff.
The information and samples you provide will be stored securely and accessed only by authorized study staff. Your child’s samples will be shipped to and stored at a collaborating lab for analysis. Study results will be published in a way that does not identify you, using aggregate data. Individual results will not be provided to participants or school staff.
Learn more about what happens to your child’s sample after collection .
This study is completely voluntary, meaning it’s optional to be a part of it. We ask that if you agree to be a part of this study, you consent to all of the samples we collect. That being said, if at any point during your participation, you would like to stop, you can also choose to stop at any time.
If you agree to participate, you can change your mind anytime and ask to stop. If you need to withdraw from the study, please contact withdraw.hero.prj@gmail.com with your participant ID number.
A consent form is a document that describes the objectives and details of the study, your rights, what it means to voluntarily participate in the study, and who you can contact if you have any questions or concerns about the study. Signing the consent form ensures that the participants understand what it means to participate and that they have all the information they need to agree to participate.
If you agree to take part in this research study, you will receive $50 in electronic gift cards for each child who participates as compensation for your time and effort. After completing the electronic parent questionnaire, you will receive a $25 electronic gift card. The other $25 electronic gift card will be sent to you after completing a short three-question survey on the same day your child’s sample collection. You may be invited to participate in a focus group for an additional $50 electronic gift card.
You will receive electronic gift cards, which will be sent to the email address you provided on your consent form.
You can speak to a HERO Study Team member by emailing hero.prj@gmail.com.
We appreciate your time and consideration. If you are not interested, there is nothing else you need to do.
Yes! If you have more than one child, their siblings can participate in the study, too. You will be asked questions in the eligibility survey about each of your children participating. We will check for each of their eligibility.
The parent questionnaire will be completed online from a computer, tablet, or mobile device. You can do this from wherever you would like! The samples (cheek swab, saliva, hair snippet) will be collected in person at your child’s early learning or community center with our trained data collection team. The tablet-based activity will also be in-person at your child’s early learning center.
To participate in this study, you must be proficient in English and/or Spanish. If your child is 2.5 years or older, they must be able to understand English and/or Spanish to complete the tablet-based activity.
Children between the ages of 4 months to 5 years old (up until just before their 6th birthday) and their parent or primary caregiver are eligible to participate in the study. If you are interested in participating, you will be asked to complete a short eligibility survey with some additional questions before consenting to the study. If you have any further questions about eligibility, please reach out to our team via email: hero.prj@gmail.com