# Delaware INBRE

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE · 2023 · $783,500

## Abstract

Abstract
Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) face many individual (diagnosis-specific, demographic),
parent/family-related, and community-level barriers that affect their ability to optimize their health behaviors
(being physically active, eating healthy, sleeping appropriately) and developmental outcomes
(motor/participation, social, behavioral, cognitive/academic performance). Children with NDD are at a greater
risk for poor developmental outcomes, physical inactivity, and reduced school and community-based recreational
participation compared to their neurotypical (NT) peers. These challenges faced by children with NDD lead to
higher rates of overweight/obesity and social isolation and in turn affect their long-term physical health
(cardiovascular disease, diabetes, shorter life expectancy), psychological health (i.e., anxiety, depression,
behavioral problems), and future development. Identifying and addressing the various complex, multi-level
factors affecting health behaviors and developmental outcomes of children with NDD will eventually improve
their overall physical/mental well-being, quality of life, as well as life expectancy. To ask these complex questions,
we propose a multi/inter-disciplinary team including a physical therapist (Bhat, PL), dietitian (Robson, Co-PL),
epidemiologist (Patterson, Co-PL), cardiologist (Baker-Smith, Co-PL), and data scientists (Zhang, Brewer, Co-
Is) who will work together to examine the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), a large national, open-
source database. We will compare cross-sectional data collected across 6 timepoints from years 2016-2021 to
understand differences in children’s health and development before versus during the pandemic. We will also
pool data across all timepoints (N=50K-90K per year, ~94K total sample in 2021) to report patterns of children’s
health behaviors, development, and factors influencing them. NSCH tracks parent-reported behaviors of
neurotypical children (~70% sample, N~67,000 in 2021) along with children with various neurodevelopmental
disabilities (NDD, ~30% sample, N~27,000 in 2021) such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD), Anxiety, Learning Disability (LD), Speech Delay (SD), Intellectual Disability (ID),
Down Syndrome (DS), Developmental Delay (DD), Seizures, and Behavioral/Mood Problems (BP). The majority
of the current literature is focused on the 2016-2017 NSCH sample. So far, no one has compared the changing
trends in health and development in children with NDD using the NSCH dataset. Few studies have used a holistic
perspective including complex, multi-level factors to evaluate health and developmental outcomes. We will use
statistical / data science approaches (e.g., machine learning) to characterize subgroups based on various factors
and identify the key and proximal factors to make recommendations for generalized and tailored interventions
targeting the needs of children with NDD. In th...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10851166
- **Project number:** 3P20GM103446-23S4
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
- **Principal Investigator:** MELINDA K DUNCAN
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $783,500
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2001-09-30 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10851166

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10851166, Delaware INBRE (3P20GM103446-23S4). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10851166. Licensed CC0.

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