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NIH workshop explores ways to prevent obesity in infancy and early childhood

Intervening to prevent the development of overweight and obesity as early as possible has the potential to improve health and reduce the health care costs associated with obesity-related diseases now and in the future. Little is known, however, regarding effective interventions for obesity prevention that might be implemented during infancy and early childhood.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Workshop on the Prevention of Obesity in Infancy and Early Childhood will bring together scientists with expertise in pediatric obesity, epidemiology, developmental psychology, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, temperament, and parenting to determine: (1) what is known regarding risk for excess weight gain in infancy and early childhood, (2) what is known regarding interventions that are promising or have been shown to be efficacious, and (3) challenges and opportunities in implementing and evaluating behavioral interventions in parents and other caregivers and their young children.

The goal of this trans-NIH workshop is to provide the scientific background to inform research that will develop and test interventions to prevent inappropriate weight gain during infancy and early childhood, with a goal of increasing the proportion of children who enter school age at a healthy weight.

The workshop will take place on Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2013 in Bethesda, Md. Registration is free. To register please visit the workshop website.

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