The Johns Hopkins Global Obesity Prevention Center (GOPC) is a global center with a unique approach to preventing obesity by concurrently studying the many causes that contribute to the obesity epidemic including policy, economics, food environment, social influences, behavior, and physiology.
GOPC connects a variety of experts who have not traditionally worked on obesity (e.g., computer scientists, mathematicians, and engineers) with researchers who have decades of obesity-related experience. This approach helps develop state-of-the-art approaches and methods (e.g., computer simulation models, geospatial tools, and social media technology) to control the global obesity epidemic. GOPC brings together experts, stakeholders, and projects from around the world. GOPC’s work includes:
- Funding time-sensitive, innovative pilot projects that use a systems-oriented approach to study environmental and policy changes relevant to childhood obesity.
- Emphasizing the integration of geospatial analysis with a systems science and transdisciplinary approach to childhood obesity
- Providing a research and training infrastructure for building capacity for integrating systems science into obesity and chronic disease research
For more information on the Johns Hopkins Global Obesity Prevention Center, visit the GOPC website or view this GOPC fact sheet.