The NIH announced today the launch of two major research efforts to develop ways to curb the childhood obesity epidemic. One of those efforts, the Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research program, involves two prevention and two treatment studies:
The two obesity prevention trials will develop and test approaches that target home, community, and primary care settings for preschool children living in low income and ethnically diverse neighborhoods. The two obesity treatment trials will examine obesity therapies on overweight and obese children 7 to 14 years old in school and home settings in collaboration with local youth organizations.
COPTR differs from previous childhood obesity research programs as the new studies will test long-term intervention approaches and target multiple levels of influence - community youth organizations, schools, primary care providers, home, and families - and do not focus solely on individuals’ behaviors.
Stanford is one of four sites involved in the trials; Thomas Robinson, MD, director of the Center for Healthy Weight at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, will lead the research.
