CDC Selects Abt Associates to Support National Birth Defects Prevention Study
Posted on: Friday, 26 September 2008, 12:00 CDT
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded Abt Associates contracts totaling $4.9 million to provide data collection and project management services for the on-going National Birth Defects Prevention Study. The purpose of the study, which began in 1997, is to collect data that can help identify risk factors and patterns in the occurrence of birth defects. Abt SRBI, the company's survey research subsidiary, will complete all of the data collection for the assignment.
Birth defects, which develop during pregnancy, are the primary cause of infant mortality in the United States, and have a serious impact on the health and well-being of children born with such defects. Although birth defects are common, affecting approximately 1 in 33 babies, or about 3% of all babies born in the United States, little is know about their cause.
The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) at the CDC has implemented a collaborative effort to gather surveillance data from ten centers around the United States. The centers work together to conduct the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. The study uses a case control framework to interview mothers, facilitate physician review of medical case histories for sampled children, and collect biological specimens from participating families.
"We are very pleased to have the opportunity to assist the CDC with this important study," said Deborah Walker, Abt Associates Vice President and Public Health Practice Leader. "Abt Associates has a long history of survey instrument development, data collection and tracking, and achieving high survey response rates. We will be applying our multidisciplinary expertise in areas such as research design, surveillance, data management, biostatistics, and clinical and laboratory methods to assist with this study and ultimately reduce the incidence of birth defects."
Abt Associates applies scientific research, technical assistance and consulting expertise to a wide range of social, economic and health policy issues; international development; clinical trials and registries; and complex business problems. Founded in 1965, the company provides services to U.S. federal, state and local governments; universities and foundations; media; and major corporations. Its staff of over 1,000 is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Atlanta, Georgia; Bethesda, Maryland; Durham, North Carolina; Lexington, Massachusetts (Abt Bio-Pharma Solutions, Inc.); New York, New York (Abt SRBI); and in Africa, Asia, Central Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Abt Associates
CONTACT: Peter Broderick, Vice President, Corporate Communications ofAbt Associates, +1-617-349-2882, Peter_broderick@abtassociates.com
Web site: http://www.abtassociates.com/
Source: PRNewswire
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