Identifying interconnections of the disparities in childhood obesity

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Childhood obesity is a serious concern, particularly in low literacy and low-income populations among minority children. Obese children are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, asthma, and worse coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. Around 36% of children live in poverty, and 42% live in low-income families. There are also racial and ethnic disparities in parent education. 40.4% of non-Hispanic white children have a college-educated parent, compared with 20.3% of non-Hispanic black. The rate of obesity in African Americans is 24.2%, and in whites is at 16.1%. African American adults are found to have high oxidative stress than Caucasians. Several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are generated by the reactive oxygen species. However, there is significant gap in the research directly examining the association of racial disparities with oxidative stress and VOCs. The overall objective of this study is to determine the association of urinary oxidative stress, volatile organic compounds profile, and oxidative stress-derived VOC metabolites with race/ethnicity and childhood obesity. We plan to accomplish the objective of this application by pursuing the following specific aims. (1) Determine the urinary oxidative stress, VOC metabolites, and oxidative stress-derived VOCs associated with race/ethnic disparity in childhood obesity. (2) Determine if oxidative stress induces the release of VOC metabolites. This research will fundamentally advance our understanding of the association between oxidative stress and the volatile organic compound metabolites with the disparities in childhood obesity. The findings will help reveal the early metabolic non-invasive biomarkers of disparities in childhood obesity. We strongly believe that the direct research experience gained by the undergraduate and graduate students working on this project will help them understand the pathophysiology associated with the disparities in childhood obesity. The successful completion of the study will help the involved students to gain in-depth knowledge of disparities and prepare future scientists to pursue their careers in health-related disciplines.