Disparities in obesity and chronic disease outcomes including cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and cancer are prevalent across the lifespan. Biological, genetic, psychological, cultural, and historical events and experiences influence the overall health of individuals and populations. Different health trajectories are the product of cumulative risk and protective factors and other influences that are programmed into biobehavioral regulatory systems during critical and sensitive periods. In the face of such complexity, transdisciplinary approaches are suggested as a way to understand and resolve problems of human health, health behavior, and acceptability of treatment and interventions for diverse populations across the lifespan.
These transdisciplinary teams will produce clinically relevant research that addresses health disparities related to obesity, its health related risks, and tailored interventions to prevent or treat obesity for diverse populations across the lifespan. Therefore, the obesity consortium was established to develop these transdisciplinary teams to address the etiology of the development of obesity during critical lifespan junctures such as adiposity rebound, adolescence and menopause, and develop and test interventions focused on reducing obesity related health disparities during these critical junctures.
the major aims of this consortium are:
- Increase the number of transdisciplinary research teams comprised of faculty and students across schools both within Arizona State University and across institutions and community partners who engage in high impact research in reducing health disparities in obesity related health risks.
- Enhance the capacity of all interested researchers to conduct innovative research on reduction of health disparities in obesity across the lifespan that is relevant to marginalized and culturally diverse populations.
- Translate obesity research in reducing health disparities findings into practice through evidence-based guidelines and reflective practice activities for researchers, clinicians, policy makers, community partners, and other stakeholders to improve cardiovascular disease risk reduction.
