The Healthy Brain and Child Development National Consortium Administrative Core

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study is entering a critical period in the evolution of this unprecedented research endeavor. While the Study has achieved success in recruitment of participants and is exactly on target with approximately 4,200 mother/child pairs enrolled, participant retention has been identified as an overarching challenge that is critical to address in Year 5. For a variety of reasons, HBCD families may withdraw from the study, decline to attend one or more study visits, or fail to complete one or more study measures within a visit. Original projections for the Study included expected rates for such missingness. However, at this point, mid-way through the overall recruitment period, it is essential to ensure that adequate retention is maintained throughout the remaining course of this complex study. With this Supplement, we propose to take a three-pronged approach to measuring, understanding, intervening on, and evaluating retention and measure completion rates across the study. First, we will offer Opportunity Pool funds, through an application process, to the HBCD recruitment sites to support implementation of evidence-based strategies to improve retention and measure completion rates overall and within specific vulnerable subgroups. Second, the HBCD Administrative Core will develop and disseminate centrally available tools, trainings, additional tailored communication materials, and monitoring activities to assist sites in meeting their retention objectives. Third, we will assign a dedicated Senior Project Manager to develop, maintain, integrate, and evaluate metrics for retention across the study administrative and data teams as well as through individual site leadership and personnel. In addition, with this Supplement, and for purposes of expediency, we propose to ensure that a necessary core measure of child dietary intake be developed and implemented within the HBCD Administrative Core so that this measure can be deployed across the study sites when it will be required for the first study participants.