About NBDPS

People are often surprised to learn that birth defects are common, found in one of every 33 newborns. Birth defects are the leading cause of infant death in the United States, accounting for more than 20% of all infant deaths. Birth defects also contribute substantially to illness and long-term disability. Most of the time, doctors and scientists do not know what causes them. In fact, the causes of about 70% of all birth defects remain unknown. The National Birth Defects Prevention Study is one of the largest studies in the U.S. looking at the causes of birth defects.

The study began in 1996 when Congress directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish the Centers for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (CBDRP). The Centers that have been established are in Arkansas, California, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Utah. These states were selected as Centers because they have existing birth defects programs with nationally recognized expertise in birth defects surveillance and research. CDC coordinates the CBDRP and participates in the NBDPS as the tenth study site (Georgia).

The Centers interviewed more than 35,000 women for the NBPDS study. The women who were interviewed for NBDPS were mothers who had babies or pregnancies affected by birth defects or were mothers of babies not affected by birth defects. Study women had also been asked to collect cheek cells from their families. These cheek cells are now being used for genetic studies.