Early Origins of Child Obesity: Bridging Disciplines and Phases of Development

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Conference Objectives. This conference will forge a next-step research agenda related to the early origins of childhood obesity. This research agenda will include working with an array of factors (from genetic determinants to societal ones) along a continuum from prenatal life to age 7. The conference will offer a unique opportunity to facilitate communication and planning of future work among a variety of researchers whose work separately addresses different periods in early life. Program. Over the span of 2 days, speakers will address existing, critical research topics in sessions organized by age range: prenatal, the first two years of life, and ages 2-7 years. Within each age range, the selected topics are those that are currently most salient. These include, for example, LGA and maternal adiposity, Biomarkers of abnormal fetal growth, Nutrition, Infant/child factors, Parent/ household factors, and Activity factors (including the environment). Speakers were identified after an exhaustive search of the literature; all are leaders in the field. Developments or contributions the conference might stimulate. The conference will set a path for integrated investigation that can lead to reduced prevalence, severity, co-morbidities, and disparities in childhood obesity. It should affect both investigator initiated research and related grant proposals, and also calls for proposals from varied research funding sources. Timeliness A 2008 report that identifies priorities in childhood obesity research has identified prenatal and early childhood top priorities. (Byrne et al. 2008) Breakthroughs in childhood obesity prevention and control will need to integrate knowledge across these traditional divides. Postponement of this bridge-building risks dead-end research and slowed progress. Usefulness to the scientific community. It is virtually impossible for any one investigator-or even one investigative team-to master the full range of knowledge relevant to the development of early childhood obesity. The proposed conference will provide a shared knowledge base that crosses disciplines, and so will provide varied investigators with insight into gaps in their own work. Further, it will provide for networking and linkage that can fill those gaps going forward. Finally, it will produce a research agenda that will build on all the relevant disciplines and that can, as a result, help to guide cross-disciplinary work in the coming years. Public Health Relevance: Childhood obesity prevalence has risen to unprecedented levels. Obese children are likely to suffer lifelong obesity and associated co-morbidities, with huge tolls to individuals, families, communities, and the health care system. Breakthroughs in childhood obesity prevention and control requires integration of knowledge across traditional area of inquiry, defined by subject age and investigator discipline. The proposed conference will convene investigators across these divides. It will establish a shared information base and research agenda to hasten identification of steps in the obesity causal sequence that are amenable to interruption. The result should be better research and so improved primary prevention and slowed progression of childhood obesity.