• Skip to main content
  • Skip to main content
Choose which site to search.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Logo University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
College of Medicine: Department of Pediatrics
  • UAMS Health
  • Jobs
  • Giving
  • About Us
    • Message from the Chair
    • Leadership
    • Senior Administration
    • Department History
    • Diversity
    • Advocacy
    • Department News
  • Specialties
    • Divisions
      • Adolescent Medicine
        • About Us
        • Faculty
        • Patient Care
          • Adolescent Eating Disorders Program
            • Causes
            • Definitions
              • Anorexia Nervosa
              • Bulimia Nervosa
            • Links and Resources
            • Medical Complications
            • Medications
            • Outcomes
            • Prevalence
      • Allergy and Immunology
        • About Us
        • Faculty
        • Fellowship
        • Research
      • Cardiology
        • About Us
        • Faculty
        • Fellowship
        • Patient Care
      • Children at Risk
        • About Us
        • Background Information
        • Faculty and Staff
        • Family Treatment Program
        • Information for Families Referred to the Center
        • Information for Referring Agencies and Physicians
        • Reporting and Resources
      • Clinical Informatics
        • About Us
        • Faculty
        • Fellowship
        • Programs
        • Research Informatics Core
        • Services
      • Community Pediatrics
        • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Faculty
      • Critical Care Medicine
        • About Us
        • Department News
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
      • Developmental Nutrition
        • About Us
        • Faculty
      • Developmental Pediatrics
        • About Us
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
        • Fellowship
        • Patient Care
        • Research
      • Emergency Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology
        • About Us
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
        • Fellowship
        • Patient Care
          • Child Life
          • Emergency Department Pharmacy
          • Respiratory Therapists
          • Social Workers
        • Pediatric Emergency APNs
        • Pharmacology and Toxicology
      • Endocrinology
        • About Us
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
        • Fellowship
        • Patient Care
      • Gastroenterology
        • About Us
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
        • Patient Care
      • General Pediatrics
        • About Us
        • Faculty
      • Genetics
        • About Us
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
        • Patient Care
      • Hematology and Oncology
        • About Us
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
        • Fellowship
      • Hospital Medicine
        • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Faculty
        • Fellowship
      • Infectious Diseases
        • About Us
        • Accolades/Events
        • Announcements
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
      • Neonatology
        • About Us
        • Education and Training
          • NICU Guidebook
        • Faculty
        • Fellowship
        • Neonatology Research
      • Nephrology
        • About Us
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
      • Neurology
        • About Us
        • Faculty
      • Pediatric Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
        • About Us
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
      • Psychology
        • About Us
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
        • Patient Care
      • Pulmonology
        • About Us
        • Faculty
        • Fellowship
        • Patient Care
          • Cystic Fibrosis Center
            • CF in School
            • Child Life Specialist
            • Contact Information
            • Events
            • FAQs
            • Hospital School Program
            • Hospitalization
            • Meet the CF Team
            • Nutrition
            • Outpatient Services
            • Resource Links
            • Respiratory Therapy
            • What is Cystic Fibrosis?
          • Pediatric Home Ventilator Program
          • Pediatric Sleep Disorders Center
        • Research
      • Rheumatology
        • About Us
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
        • Patient Care
    • Programs
      • Dennis Developmental Center
      • Head Start
      • Kids First
      • Schmieding Developmental Center
  • Faculty
    • Faculty Development
      • Department of Pediatrics Faculty Council
      • Faculty Mentoring Program
      • Promotion and Tenure
        • Promotion and Tenure Workshops and Training Sessions
  • Research
    • Arkansas Children’s Research Institute
      • Arkansas ECHO ISPCTN Site
      • Asthma and Respiratory Disorders Research Program
      • Center for Translational Pediatric Research
      • Food Allergy Research Program
      • Biostatistics Program Policies
      • Center for Childhood Obesity Prevention
      • Pediatric Clinical Research Unit (PCRU)
        • Acetaminophen Toxicity Laboratory
    • Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center
    • Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System (ARHMS)
    • Office of Research
    • Quality Improvement
      • Database Support
  • Education and Training
    • Residencies
      • Pediatric Residency Program
        • About Us
        • Welcome Messages
        • Meet the Housestaff
          • Program Directors
          • Program Staff
          • Chief Residents
          • PGY-1
          • PGY-2
          • PGY-3
          • Med-Peds PGY-1
          • Med-Peds PGY-2
          • Med-Peds PGY-3
          • Med-Peds PGY-4
        • Residency Education
          • What to Expect Each Year
          • Conferences and Curriculum
            • Continuity Clinic
            • Core Rotations
            • Teaching Rounds and Conferences
          • Retreats
          • Research Opportunities
          • Training Sites
          • Preparing for your Pediatric Board Exams
        • More About Our Program
          • Program Benefits
          • Resident Wellness
          • Seasonal Social Events
        • For Applicants
          • Guide to Little Rock
          • Resident Recruitment Committee
      • Child Neurology Residency
        • Program Overview
        • Our Application Process
        • Curriculum
        • Faculty
        • Child Neurology Residents
        • Alumni
        • Educational Conferences
    • Fellowships
      • Allergy-Immunology Fellowship
        • Clinical Curriculum
        • Education/Didactics
        • How to Apply
        • Meet Our Faculty
        • Research and Scholarly Activity
      • Cardiology Fellowship
        • Education and Training
        • Research
        • Faculty
        • The Place
        • More About the Program
          • Advanced Fellowship Opportunities
          • Advanced Imaging Services
          • Cardiac Catheterization Lab
          • Cardiovascular Inpatient Services
          • Echocardiography Laboratory
          • Specialty Services
          • Surgery
        • Fellows
        • Alumni
        • How To Apply
      • Clinical Informatics
      • Critical Care Fellowship
        • Current Fellows
        • Education and Training
          • Educational Conferences and Simulations
        • Faculty
        • How to Apply
        • Alumni
      • Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship
        • Alumni
        • Current Fellows
        • How To Apply
        • Meet the Faculty
      • Emergency Medicine Fellowship
        • Ultrasound Fellowship
        • Education
        • Emergency Medicine Research
        • Alumni
        • How to Apply
      • Fellows’ Research Day
      • Hematology Oncology Fellowship
        • Education
        • Events
        • Faculty
        • Fellows
        • How to Apply
        • The Place
      • Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship
        • The Place
        • How to Apply
        • Fellows
        • Faculty
        • Education
        • Clinical Experience
        • Conferences and Meetings
        • Research – Scholarly Activity
        • Training in Quality Improvement
      • Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship
        • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty, Fellows and Hospitalist Team
        • How to Apply
        • Mission and Program Aims
        • Research
      • Pediatric Psychology Fellowship
        • Benefits
        • Curriculum and Supervision
        • Fellow Evaluation
        • Fellows
        • Goals and Objectives of Training
        • How to Apply
        • LEND
        • Methods of Evaluation
        • Training Faculty
      • Pulmonology Fellowship
        • Education and Training
        • Faculty
        • Fellows
        • How to Apply
        • Pulmonology Research
      • Fellows’ Core Curriculum
    • Pediatric Clerkship
    • Office of Education
      • Continuing Medical Education
      • Educational Resources
    • Jones Educational Development Institute (JEDI)
  • Community
    • Life in Little Rock
      • Job Opportunities
      • Little Rock Neighborhoods
      • Things to Do
        • Arts and Culture
        • Dining and Entertainment
        • Outdoor Adventures
    • Wellness Resources
  • Alumni
  • Giving
  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. College of Medicine
  3. Department of Pediatrics
  4. Research
  5. Arkansas Children’s Research Institute
  6. Center for Childhood Obesity Prevention

Center for Childhood Obesity Prevention

In 2016, Arkansas Children’s Research Institute received a $9.4 million COBRE Phase 1 award to create a center for the study of childhood obesity. Led by Judy Weber, Ph.D., RD, the multidisciplinary Center for Childhood Obesity Prevention strengthens ACRI’s obesity research capacity and creates mentoring pathways for emerging scientists whose work is focused on pediatric obesity. The Center also serves as an anchor for the development of a comprehensive pediatric obesity program in the Arkansas Children’s Health System statewide. The focus of the CCOP is to better understand the origins of pediatric obesity, as well as the behavioral and environmental contributors, and to develop interventions designed to prevent and treat, and ultimately reduce, childhood obesity and its associated complications.

Current studies funded by the award range across the full translational spectrum, from investigating underlying basic metabolic factors to clinical effectiveness trials to population outcomes research. The award has established two biomedical scientific infrastructure research cores to support the thematic work of the Center: the Biostatistics Core and the Metabolism and Bioenergetics Core. Anticipated in the 5-year Phase 2 of the CCOP is the establishment of a third scientific infrastructure core, the Community Engagement Core. Unique to the CCOP is the direct involvement of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI), which houses the state body mass index (BMI) data warehouse. In establishing and growing the Center, the team will continue to work to prevent the rise in Arkansas childhood overweight and obesity rates. Currently among school-age youth in Arkansas, 23% have obesity and 17% are classified as overweight, according to ACHI. The goal is to reduce this rate significantly over the next five to 10 years. New discoveries and knowledge produced through the work of the CCOP and partners throughout the state are continually being translated into novel programs, interventions, and treatments necessary to make our children not only better today but healthier tomorrow.

Contact: Judith Weber, Ph.D., RD at WeberJudithL@uams.edu.

UAMS College of Medicine LogoUAMS College of MedicineUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Mailing Address: 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: (501) 686-7000
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy

© 2022 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences