The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently published a report of the presentations and discussions at its Measuring Progress in Obesity Prevention Workshop. The report features presentations from three members of the National Collaborative for Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR): Susan Krebs-Smith (NIH-NCI), Robin McKinnon (NIH-NCI), and Laura Kettel Khan (CDC-DNPAO).
“The purpose of this workshop was to assess the status of measurement methods in obesity prevention,” said Kettel Khan.
Krebs-Smith added that this activity was part of a broader initiative by the IOM committee on “accelerating progress in obesity, which has been tasked with reviewing past recommendations, identifying new recommendations, as well as indicators of progress in reducing obesity rates.”
The workshop presentations address a variety of nutrition and obesity measurement issues in obesity research. NCCOR members specifically discuss:
- The need for a national surveillance system of nutrition-related policy and environmental measures
- The functions and benefits of the Measures Registry and Catalogue of Surveillance Systems
- The development of, and lessons learned from the process of creating a set of strategies and measures for local governments to plan and evaluate their obesity prevention efforts
The purpose of the workshop report is to help illuminate the opportunities for, and challenges in, measuring progress in obesity prevention. A copy of the report is available online from the IOM’s website, free of charge.