Project Grant K23HD120654

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York $167,400 on September 1, 2026, under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865) to investigate the relationships between early relational health, maternal unpredictability, and infant adiposity as risk factors for early childhood obesity.

The research will determine associations between early relational health constructs (including nurturing and caregiver-child interactive dynamics), unpredictability in maternal caregiving behavior and mood, and excessive infant adiposity in infants ages birth to six months. The study will also examine whether breastfeeding patterns modify these relationships. The research leverages the ongoing COMBO Initiative longitudinal framework, recruiting a prospective sub-sample of 220 mother-infant dyads for standardized anthropometric measurements at birth and six months, and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging to measure adiposity at six months. The work addresses the finding that nearly 13 percent of U.S. children ages 2–5 years have obesity, which strongly predicts lifelong obesity and cardiometabolic disease.

Performance is based in New York, NY. The period of performance runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2030. The assistance type is a Project Grant.