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September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Childhood obesity is when a child is well above a healthy weight for his or her age and height. This topic is at the forefront of research being done at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and for a good reason – the disease affects one in five children in our country.
Pennington Biomedical’s mission is to discover the triggers of chronic diseases through innovative research that improves human health across the lifespan. Since its founding, Pennington Biomedical has led the scientific community in achieving breakthrough research in nutrition, obesity and diabetes. In fact, Pennington Biomedical has been recognized as having the greatest concentration of obesity research scientists and includes some of the most highly regarded obesity and diabetes researchers in the world.
Childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions in many countries, including the United States, and obesity-related metabolic disturbances once seen in adults are now being observed in children and adolescents. Seven out of 10 children with obesity grow up to be adults with obesity. Those adults go on to have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia and stroke.
The good news is that childhood obesity is preventable. Scientists have proven that realistic strategies, like limiting the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages, increasing regular physical activity and reduced sedentary activity, can reduce the risk of children developing obesity.
Pennington Biomedical’s faculty members, which include doctors, researchers, scientists and nutritionists, are looking for way to help people who struggle with obesity and diabetes.
“We’ve been involved with every obesity medicine that’s on the market now and just about every diabetes medicine,” says Dr. Amanda Staiano, a developmental psychologist at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center. “We’ve been involved with developing and testing these medications.”
Staiano’s area of research is childhood obesity, but her work also has implications for adults. “I design and test programs that help families who are trying to eat healthier, get more physical activity, sleep better, and ultimately, attain a healthier weight,” she says.
Another important aspect of Pennington Biomedical’s research is clinical trials, which are essential to confirming new paths of prevention, detection and treatment of childhood obesity and related diseases.
Dr. Staiano is also working on technology such as apps and wearables that can help families attain healthier weights and develop healthier habits.
A new initiative coming to Pennington Biomedical in 2024 is Greaux Healthy – a collaboration of statewide partners aiming to reduced childhood obesity through proven obesity treatment and prevention options. The components of Greaux Healthy will address obesity and health risks in four distinct populations: expectant families and parents of infants, pre-school age children, school age children and adolescents.
For more information about childhood obesity and the research being done by Pennington Biomedical Research Center, visit pbrc.edu/childhoodobesity.
