The Pennington Biomedical Research Center has launched the Pennington Generation research study to study childhood obesity. Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk, an associate executive director for population and public health science at Pennington Biomedical, says the study is designed to examine the influence of lifestyle factors in Louisiana as they relate to childhood obesity.
“In the end, the study will really help us identify those interventions which might be effective to help prevent and to treat childhood obesity,” Katzmarzyk said.
Dr. Katzmarzyk says Louisiana has several characteristics that may contribute to childhood obesity.
“We have a culture in this state of really having a good time and eating. We have a lot of different festivals related to food,” Katzmarzyk said.
Katzmarzyk says the study just got underway, with about 90 kids having participated so far. In all, he says about 1,500 will participate in a period of about 10 to 20 years.
” We’re enrolling now, children and their families. We’re also enrolling mothers who are pregnant or are thinking of getting pregnant,” Katzmarzyk said.
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