In August 2013, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a new report, “Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress,” which outlined an actionable plan for measuring the nation’s progress in obesity prevention efforts. In developing the report, the IOM relied heavily on two tools developed by the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) — the Measures Registry and Catalogue of Surveillance Systems.
The authors highlighted the fact that the Registry is the only existing resource developed with a focus on measuring diet and physical activity and related environments programs and systems. They found the Measures Registry to be particularly valuable for the assessment of gaps in the capacity to evaluate interventions related to diet, physical activity, and weight, and their potential environmental determinants.
This recognition by the IOM of the usefulness and applicability to obesity research of the Measures Registry and the Catalogue of Surveillance Systems shows the importance and impact of NCCOR’s work, and demonstrates recognition of the value of these tools by prominent obesity researchers and practitioners.
NCCOR released the Measures Registry and the Catalogue of Surveillance Systems in 2011. The tools provide online compendia of measures, data, and other resources related to diet, physical activity, and weight of youth and their environments. Combined, the tools average over 1,500 unique visitors per month.
NCCOR is comprised of four of the nation’s leading research funders —the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.