Obesity Research Core
Research Accomplishments - 2006
The obesity and built environment core (OBE) has continued utilizing diverse approaches to promote interdisciplinary research on how the built environment affects diet, activity, and body composition at particular stages of the life cycle. First, we have created an OBE seminar series and have been active in building our knowledge and interactions across campus on this very new topic of study. Second, we have organized a series of lunch meetings of core members to discuss our work and build support for expanding our research and training in this area. We have been attempting to work out the best way to develop a training grant around this topic. Lunch meetings have been attended 100% of the time by all core members and the level of enthusiasm and interest is very high in this group. Third, we have worked to assist core members develop proposals to further their work. To date, there have been a number of new grants submitted in this area this year (to date, 2 K01 awards and 2 new R01’s) and, in addition, two 01’s were funded on an NIEHS built environment and obesity RFA. Fourth, this group has worked closely with the NIH roadmap funded center planning grant for a UNC Interdisciplinary Obesity Center. One R01 headed by a new investigator linking this area with genetic susceptibility will be submitted in Feb. and two others focused on obesity and the built environment are being prepared for June submission. We provide further detail on some of these activities below:
Obesity And Physical Activity Seminars For 2006
01/20/06: Dr. Kari North, UNC, Epidemiology: “The Genetic Epidemiology of Obesity in American Indians: The Strong Heart Family Study” (Carolina Population Center, Rm 405 – CPC 405)
02/17/06: Dr. Barbara Laraia, UNC, Nutrition: "Contextual Effects on Diet Quality and Weight Status during Pregnancy" (CPC 405)
03/17/06: Audrey de Nazelle, PhD Candidate, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering and Carolina Environmental Program: "Health risk assessment of a pedestrian-oriented environment" (CPC 405)
04/20/06: Ana Diez-Roux, MD, PhD, MPH; Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Michigan: “Places and cardiovascular risk: evidence and challenges” (Michael Hooker Research Center - Auditorium 0001)
04/21/06: Dr. Becki Cleveland, UNC, Epidemiology: "Weight gain prior to breast cancer diagnosis and survival" (CPC 405)
04/27/06: Leslie Bernstein, PhD, Professor of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California: “Obesity and Cancer Risk: Etiologic Insights" (Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Plaza Level Conference Room 00-0002).
05/12/06: Bernard F. Fuemmeler, Ph.D., M.P.H., Assistant Professor, Duke University Medical Center: "Genes the Brain and Obesity: Recent Finding from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health" (Department of Community and Family Medicine)
07/24/06: Dr. June Stevens, Chair, Department of Nutrition, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology: "Do's and Dont's of Obesity Prevention Research" (for a talk to be given in Sept at IASO).
September 11, 2006: "NAASO PRACTICE" (Including Oral Presentations Practices as indicated below)
Daisy Zamora: The Impact of Diet Quality on the Development of Obesity: Findings from the CARDIA Study
Ningqi Hou: Five-year Longitudinal Trends of Walking Patterns and Their Impact on Weight Change and Total Physical Activity in Young Adults: The CARDIA study.
Shuwen Ng: Impacts of China's Edible Oil Pricing Policy on Nutrition
Ying Liu: Physical activity of adolescents is associated with that of their peers: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
Anne Marie Meyer: The Association of Television Watching with Longitudinal Physical Activity and Diet: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (Aric) Study
September 18, 2006: "NAASO PRACTICE" (Including Oral Presentation Practices as indicated below)
Linda Adair: Disentangling the predictive value of early growth on later outcomes
Penny Gordon-Larsen: Maternal obesity influences age at onset of overweight and obesity during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
Melissa Scharoun-Lee: Distinct elements of a multidimensional measure of SES differentially predict young adult obesity across race/ethnicity: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
Additional Talks
10/09/06: Dr. Deborah Tate, Departments of Health Behavior and Health Education and Nutrition: "Internet Interventions for Treating Obesity in Adults and Adolescents"
11/06/06: Dr. Daniel Pomp, Nutrition and Cell & Molecular Physiology.
12/04/06: Melinda Beck, Nutrition & Pediatrics.
12/06/06: Dr. Brian Saelens, Children s' Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati: "Neighborhood Built Environment and Children's Activity and Diet".
