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Research aimed at preventing obesity

The federal government is investing in research to address childhood obesity. Roger Beachy, the director of USDA’s Institute of Food and Agriculture, says research is aimed at very young children.

“Two through six are the areas that social scientists and economists and nutritionists are convinced that we can have an impact,” Beachy told reporters during a conference call Monday.

Research will focus on reducing childhood obesity through diet and exercise, said Beachy.

“It really is about behavior and how moms and dads choose the foods for their children and then make use of that information to provide the best nutrition at a cost that they can afford, while at the same time reducing the caloric intake, the amount of sugar and so forth,” he said.

The funding is important because the results of the research will determine the fitness of the next generation, said Beachy.

“This is a big deal,” he told reporters, “this is a very important part of America’s future; it’s our children that we rely on to build healthy bodies as well as healthy minds, because if we don’t have healthy children even things like our security issues and what kind of a workforce and an armed force we’ll be able muster in the future,”

The competitive grants go to 24 institutions.