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Assessment of maternal health and behavior during pregnancy in the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study:

Kelly K Gurka1, Heather H Burris2, Lucia Ciciolla3

  • 1University of Florida, PO Box 100231, Gainesville, FL 32610-0231, USA.

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
|June 2, 2025
PubMed

Insights

The Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study tracks prenatal exposures and maternal health to understand their lifelong impact on child development. This research investigates how factors during pregnancy influence brain, cognitive, and emotional growth through early childhood.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Prenatal exposures, including substance use, significantly affect fetal development and long-term health.
  • Understanding the intrauterine environment's impact on early development is crucial for lifelong well-being.
  • The Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study is a prospective, longitudinal cohort study examining development from prenatal stages through early childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize maternal health and behavior during pregnancy and into childhood.
  • To assess the impact of prenatal exposures and maternal factors on child development.
  • To investigate the effects of the intrauterine environment on brain, cognitive, behavioral, social, and emotional development.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a multi-site, prospective, longitudinal cohort design.
  • Assessed maternal physical and mental health, substance use, and pregnancy/birth outcomes.
  • Employed measures including the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, DSM-5 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measures, National Stressful Events Survey, and a modified-ASSIST with timeline-followback for substance use.

Main Results:

  • Detailed characterization of maternal health, behaviors, and substance use during pregnancy and postpartum.
  • Collected data on pregnancy complications and birth outcomes.
  • Established a comprehensive dataset linking prenatal factors to early developmental trajectories.

Conclusions:

  • The HBCD Study provides critical insights into the impact of the intrauterine environment on early development.
  • Findings will advance understanding of how prenatal exposures and maternal health influence child outcomes.
  • This research lays the foundation for future interventions to support healthy child development.

Keywords:
BrainChild developmentHBCDMaternal healthPregnancyPrenatal exposure delayed effectsSubstance-related disorders

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