Study to track array of obesity factors
400 children will participate for five years
BY JEREMY OLSON
Pioneer Press
Researchers at the University of Minnesota are hoping a broader look at childhood obesity will provide more effective ways to keep children at healthy weights.
Many previous studies have focused on child behaviors, or family activities, or school nutrition or neighborhood dynamics. The U study will be among the first to look at them all at once and to examine how they combine to influence obesity levels among 400 children ages 10 to 13.
The ECHO study, short for Etiology of Childhood Obesity, will be funded over five years by a $3.4 million federal grant, the U announced Friday.
"Research on childhood obesity has been dominated by studies aimed at impacting a few single causes of the epidemic," said Leslie Lytle, the lead researcher from the U's School of Public Health. "That research has produced mixed results, and it has not determined the most effective interventions to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity."
Collaborators in the research include Ohio State University and HealthPartners, the Bloomington-based health insurer that will select study participants from its membership. Biological parents will participate along with their children.
Researchers will monitor children's activity and eating levels along with basic measurements such as blood pressure and blood sugar. Families will be evaluated for medical history, eating habits and media usage. Schools will be checked for their lunch offerings, vending machines and physical education programs. Neighborhoods will be reviewed for their proximity to parks, paths and fast-food restaurants.
Nineteen percent of children ages 6 to 11 were overweight in 2003 to 2004, an increase from 11 percent in 1988 to 1994, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The trend means more Type 2 diabetes among children and higher risk of heart disease, stroke and certain cancers if they remain overweight as adults.
Lytle said she selected the 10-to-13 age range because children start to gain more independence and make their own food choices. Pre-adolescent children may lose excess weight, she added, but children who are overweight at puberty are likely to remain heavy as adults.
"It's kind of a crucial age," she said.
The study has some limitations. While it will review how much television children watch, some research suggests what they watch also influences their weight. All the children are insured, so the study won't assess whether lack of health benefits contributes to weight problems.
HealthPartners just received $1.8 million for an additional obesity study. It will examine over the next four years whether follow-up counseling by phone or mail can help people keep weight off once they have lost it.
Childhood Obesity study
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