The more we know, the stronger babies will grow!
About IFED-2
Remember IFED?
The Infant Feeding and Early Development (IFED) study was a research study at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that looked at how healthy babies developed and grew during infancy. Mothers joined the IFED study right after giving birth and completed study visits at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia with their newborn until the baby was 7 or 8 months old. Thanks to the families that participated in IFED, we were able to learn about how healthy babies grow and develop during infancy, including how different feeding methods affect early development.
Now we are conducting a follow-up study of the former IFED infants to learn if what babies eat and how they grow and develop during infancy are related to growth and development during late childhood and early adolescence, including the timing of puberty.
What is the Infant Feeding & Early Development Puberty (IFED-2) Study?
The IFED Puberty Study (IFED-2) is a research study that looks at how infants in the original IFED study are developing into adolescence. We will learn how different aspects of infancy, such as what babies eat and how they grow, affect growth, puberty, and hormonal changes into adolescence.
Taking part in this study helps us understand why some kids go through puberty earlier or later than others.
In the first phase of the study, participants were asked to complete study activities remotely 3 times over the course of about a year (enrollment, 6 months, 1 year) to provide information on growth and development. We have recently received funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to support our research investigating links between infant development and the timing of puberty in girls. This new funding will support additional data collection in girls enrolled in IFED-2.
In the second phase of the study, we will ask families of IFED-2 girls to participate in an additional round of remote study activities. We specifically are interested in when all girls in the study have their first period, an important milestone of puberty. We will ask families of girls that have not yet experienced their first period when they fill out their Phase 2 questionnaires to participate in one more round of study activities about one year later. Families of eligible IFED girls that have yet to enroll in the follow-up study will also be invited to join IFED-2 at this time to complete Phase 2 activities only.
We hope to obtain additional funding to conduct an additional round of study activities with the IFED-2 boys in the future.
Who is conducting the IFED-2 Study?
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the Rutgers School of Public Health (RSPH) and DLH are working together on this study.
IFED-2 Research Team
NIEHS Research Scientists
- Mandy Goldberg, Ph.D.
IFED-2 Principal Investigator (RSPH)
- Dale Sandler, Ph.D.
IFED-2 Co-Principal Investigator (NIEHS)
IFED-2 Staff, DLH Coordinating Center
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Erin Van Fleet
IFED-2 Study: Study Coordinator
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Marley Vil
IFED-2 Study: Research Assistant
