While the obesity epidemic appears to have plateaued in women and children for the first time in several years, the numbers of overweight/obese people are still dangerously high, and research continues to find new and more serious health risks associated with the disease.

Temple’s Center for Obesity Research and Education (CORE) is at the forefront in studying the causes, consequences, treatment and prevention of obesity. Faculty members and staff recently presented findings from several studies at The Obesity Society’s annual scientific meeting. Gary Foster, Ph.D, director of CORE, is also the current president of The Obesity Society.

Barriers to exercise hamper weight loss for obese women

Overweight and obese women face a significant number of mental barriers when it comes to exercise, more so than their normal weight counterparts, according to research led by Melissa Napolitano, Ph.D., associate professor of kinesiology and clinical psychologist at CORE.

How much are you really exercising?

While obese women often miscalculate the amount of calories they consume, they are more accurate than their lean counterparts when it comes to reporting their exercise habits, says lead study author Tracy Oliver, M.Ed., R.D., L.D.N., a lead health services specialist at CORE.

Corner stores capture kids on morning commute

Researchers from Temple University and The Food Trust recently examined the eating habits of urban children before and after school and found that roughly 70 percent of the students bought food or drink on their commute to school, spending about $3 a day.

Determining healthy portion sizes for kids

There is very little research on what factors affect children’s eating habits, but research led by Jennifer Fisher, Ph.D., associate professor of public health, found that when larger portions are served, kids tend to take more food than they need.

School vending machines dole out excess calories, fat

Recent figures from the HEALTHY Study, a Temple-led effort to curb obesity and type-2 diabetes in pre-teens at 42 schools nationwide, found that school vending machines are providing children with empty calories and excess fat, offering snacks and beverages with upwards of 480 calories.

Other research presented by CORE included:

• Responsiveness to child feeding cues: an observational scale – Jennifer Fisher, et al.
• The effect of weight loss on obstructive sleep apnea among obese patients with type-2 diabetes: The Sleep AHEAD study – Gary D. Foster, Kelley E. Borradaile, et al.
• The effects of low and high glycemic index foods and protein content on glycemic response and energy intake – Kelley E. Borradaile, Angela P. Makris, Ph.D., R.D., Nida Cassim, Tracy L. Oliver, Carol Homko, Ph.D., Guenther Boden, M.D., and Gary Foster.
• Management of obesity in pregnancy: how well are obstetric providers adhering to clinical practice guidelines? – Sharon J. Herring, Ph.D., et al.